


Slow Me Down

by TheSilentBull



Category: Guiding Light
Genre: F/F, Otalia - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-13 02:33:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18023123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSilentBull/pseuds/TheSilentBull
Summary: Natalia returns to Springfield and hopes to pick up where she left off with Olivia.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story ten years ago and I forgot about it because it was only ever posted to Incandescent Fire. I decided to post it here, as well, to add to my collection.

It had been nearly three weeks since Natalia had left without saying goodbye and three weeks that Olivia couldn't come up with the answers she needed for Emma, let alone herself. There had been no phone calls, no emails, no nothing, not even a text message.

The first week had been spent in tears and confusion, only pulling herself together for the sake of her daughter. Her days were spent in her office, working herself into oblivion, and her nights were spent alone in bed in her hotel room, crying quietly so as not to wake Emma.

Hadn't they been happy? Hadn't it only been a few short weeks ago that they were planning to go to the Bauer barbeque together? Together. There was to be no more hiding how they felt and no more waiting.

Olivia spent the second week blaming herself. Maybe she had pushed Natalia too quickly. After the way Rafael had reacted to seeing them together and the pressure she was getting from Father Ray, Olivia should have known it would be too much to deal with too soon. Her words from that day in Emma's classroom were turning out to be a very real premonition.

'How can I let you love me if it's gonna make you feel like an awful person?'

'I know what comes after I love you…hell…pure hell...'

In the end, her heart overrode her brain and she allowed her affection for Natalia to fully blossom. It hadn't been without some bumps along the way, but she thought they were finally figuring everything out.

By the time the third week came about, she could feel herself becoming numb to the pain. If this was what happened when you loved someone unconditionally, then she didn't want it. Olivia Spencer was no stranger to having her heart broken, but this time was supposed to be different. There had been no manipulation, no agenda involved. With Natalia it had been the essence of love…or at least it had been for her.

______

It was a Wednesday morning and Olivia sat on the small sofa in her room, fully dressed in tailored black trousers, a matching jacket, and black stiletto pumps, looking every bit the beautiful, savvy businesswoman she was. The sun had yet to rise and she watched the news patiently as she waited for the alarm to go off so she could wake her daughter and order room service. It had become her new routine ever since Natalia left. When she was lucky enough to actually fall asleep, it only ever lasted a few hours and she would be awake with her noisy thoughts for the rest of the night.

Making her way into the bathroom, Olivia turned on the cold tap for a glass of water and dutifully took her medication. She checked her hair and makeup, flawless as usual, and turned out the light, ignoring the pain she could see in her own eyes. Checking the clock, she turned the alarm off before it could sound and quietly made her way to her daughter's room.

"Emma?" she called softly as she sat on the edge of her bed. She stroked the little girl's hair tenderly and placed a kiss on her warm cheek. "Time to wake up, Jellybean." She watched as Emma's eyes fluttered open and greeted her with a smile.

"Mommy, I'm still sleepy," the little girl whined as she tried to snuggle underneath the blankets.

"I know, baby, but you've got a big day at camp and I don't want you to be late." Olivia watched as Emma sat up with a sleepy smile on her face.

"Oh yeah, today is track and field day," she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"That's right, Jellybean." She kissed her daughter's head and stood from the bed. "You pick out your clothes and get dressed and I'll order breakfast."

Twenty minutes later, a meal of fluffy, scrambled eggs and orange juice was waiting as Emma emerged from the bathroom.

"Listen, baby, I'm sorry I won't be able to watch you at camp today, but mommy has a really important meeting," Olivia explained as she picked over her plate.

"It's okay, mom. Daddy will be there. He promised," Emma said before taking a forkful of eggs. "I wish Natalia was here so she could come."

Olivia didn't know what to say. She didn't know where Natalia was. All she knew was that she was at a church retreat and she didn't want to be found. Rafe had even let it slip that she called him.

'She doesn't want to see you or talk to you,' he had told her.

'Is that what she said?' Olivia had asked. Rafe only laughed humorlessly and walked away, filling her head with even more doubt.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Emma's question, a question she had been asked many times over the past few weeks. "Mom, why did Natalia leave us?"

_____

After dropping Emma off at camp, Olivia made her way to Company for a cup of coffee. As she walked through the entrance, she looked around quickly and was relieved that Frank Cooper was nowhere to be seen. The jilted groom wasted no time in accusing her of pushing Natalia away and it only fed into her fears that she had done exactly that. She realized that Frank's opinion of her was not very high, quite low in fact, but for months now, she had been patient with him, realizing the hurt that she and Natalia's relationship caused him. She put up with his indirect digs at her, thinking that maybe she even deserved some of them, but a person could only take so much and if she was forced to look into his accusing eyes once more, she didn't know if she could control her anger.

She stopped at the small island in the middle of the restaurant to quickly fill a 'to go' cup before she ran into anyone. Digging through her purse for a few bills, she didn't hear as Buzz came up beside her.

"In a hurry this morning?" he asked, his voice rumbling close to her ear. Olivia jumped back in surprise and gave him a taut smile.

"Yeah…yes…actually. I have a really important meeting today," she said, continuing to dig through her purse.

"Well, you look great," he said, giving her a twice over. "You smell great, too."

Finally locating her wallet, she tossed a few bills onto the counter and smiled at him. "Thanks, Buzz." Needless to say, her and Natalia's plans to let everyone know that they were a couple were kaput, and obviously Frank still hadn't said anything because she was sure Buzz wouldn't be acting so friendly toward her otherwise. It pained her to know that if he ever did find out, she would probably lose a good friend.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "What happened to that happiness from a few weeks ago?"

Olivia gave a self depreciating smile. "You know me, Buzz. Happiness doesn't usually last for me." Patting his face gently, she grabbed her coffee and left the restaurant.

_____

Natalia looked around anxiously as the cab slowly rolled up the long drive of the farmhouse. The three weeks she had been gone seemed more like an eternity. She looked over the expanse of the yard to see that someone had been keeping the grass cut. Probably Rafe, she though with a sad smile. She had missed her home dearly, but more importantly, she missed Olivia Spencer even more. Her lip quivered just thinking about the beautiful woman and all of the hurt she knew she had caused her by leaving. She was beginning to feel like all she did was cause pain for the ones she cared about. First it was Frank and the way she left him at the altar and now she had essentially done the same thing to Olivia.

After finding out she was pregnant with Frank's child, it felt like the walls were closing in on her. After trying so hard to do the right thing, how had her life become such a mess? Father Ray had suggested she take some time to think things over at the church retreat and she was so desperate to get away that she quickly packed a bag and left. She had called Rafe that night to let him know she was okay. Her fingers ached to dial Olivia, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. What would she say to her? Doubt after doubt ran through her head and Father Ray suggesting that she was being punished for her choices was first and foremost in her thoughts. He had withdrawn that suggestion when she confessed to him that she was pregnant, but she couldn't help but wonder.

The cab finally came to a halt and she dug through her purse for the fare. Stepping from the vehicle, she thanked the driver and stood watching until his car disappeared through the gate. Gently patting her belly, she picked her bag up from where it rested on the ground and made her way inside.

______

Evening came fast and Natalia made her way downstairs after stripping the upstairs beds of their sheets and blankets. The curtains billowed softly in a warm breeze as she passed through the living room and she propped the laundry basket on the kitchen table to stop for a glass of water. During her time at the retreat, the morning sickness had thankfully passed and now she was focused on taking care of herself and her baby. No matter how big a mistake the pregnancy was, she had no intention of terminating. She didn't do it with Rafe and she didn't plan on doing it now.

Natalia had yet to call anyone since she'd returned, wanting to take her time and get used to her home again. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about Olivia and she was desperate to hold her, to be held by her, but she didn't know what she would say to her or if she would even still be speaking to her. Father Ray had also suggested that she was afraid to leave Olivia because she would find that her feelings for the woman weren't as strong as she thought.

He was wrong.

If anything, her time away had served to show just how powerful her love for Olivia was. She missed Emma just as much, as if she had been away from her own flesh and blood child. Earlier, when she was dusting, she found a smiley keychain the little girl had left the last time she was there. She had also come across a pair of Olivia's sunglasses and she didn't even try to fight the tears. What had she done? She loved Olivia overwhelmingly and she felt like she had lost her forever.

_____

It was well past six and Olivia sat in her office going over the budget, at least that's what it would look like if anyone walked in. The meeting had gone well in her opinion. She had probably made a few enemies, but she didn't care. She certainly wasn't there to make friends. She had a business to run and sometimes that meant making people mad.

Emma had called after camp was finished for the day and begged her permission to stay the night with Phillip. Olivia cringed at the though of her baby at the Spaulding mansion with the likes of Alan, but she knew she needed to trust Phillip to keep her safe if he was going to be a part of her life. That didn't stop her from threatening him if anything happened to her little girl though. Truthfully, she was glad Emma was spending some time away from the depressing hotel room. Normally, on a day like today, Olivia would have called Natalia at least three times by now and she would have received just as many calls from her. Plans would be made for an evening together at the farmhouse and she would leave work early to pick up Emma.

Olivia suddenly crumpled the budget printout and threw it across the room. Her own heart was broken for sure, but what hurt even more was that Natalia had disappointed Emma. She could accept that she had pushed Natalia too hard and that maybe she had been too wrapped up in her own happiness to see that the other woman was having doubts, but what had Emma done to deserve this? Natalia claimed that she loved the child as her own, but who would do that to their child?

Quickly shutting down her computer, Olivia grabbed her leather portfolio and made for the door. She was happy that things had worked out with Phillip, despite her initial trepidation at his return. Emma needed a distraction since it was obvious Natalia didn't want them anymore and she would just have to find a way to not want her either.

_____

That night, Natalia sat on the sofa idly flipping through the channels, though television was the furthest thing from her mind. All of the bedding now had fresh linens and she dusted the house from top to bottom. Cleaning usually calmed her, but it wasn't working this time. Her stomach was in knots as she thought about seeing Olivia again and she still had no idea what she was going to say. _How about the truth_ , she though, angry with herself for not doing so in the first place.

Although her relationship with Olivia, and Frank for that matter, were more mixed up now than ever, she still didn't regret her time at the retreat. Father Ray had told her that if Olivia truly loved her then she would understand that Natalia needed some time by herself. What she did regret was leaving town without telling Olivia anything at all. She had no doubt that Olivia would have given her time, but she had been so wrapped up in her own worry that unfortunately, Olivia's feelings and their promises to each other had taken a back seat. She had never experienced the intensity of love she felt when she was with Olivia and she was afraid her absence had damaged their relationship beyond repair. Once she told Frank about her pregnancy, she was certain she would have his support, but she didn't know if she could do it without Olivia by her side.

Turning the television off, she made her way to the windows around the living room to shut and lock them, and as she headed into the kitchen, she checked the lock for the door. Headlights shining across the expanse of the lawn caught her attention and she waited to see who it was, not certain if she was up to seeing anyone tonight. Opening the door cautiously, she nearly cried at the sight of her son walking up.

"Rafe," she said, holding out her arms to him.

______

"I missed you, mama," Rafe said after pulling away from his mother's embrace.

"I missed you, too," she said, stroking his bearded cheek, "and I know you probably have a lot of questions." Taking his hand, she led him inside to the kitchen table.

"I'm just glad you're okay," he said taking a seat next to her. "You are okay aren't you? You just kinda left town without telling anyone…not even Olivia."

Natalia wiped her tears and took a deep breath. "I'm okay," she began. "There was just so much going on and I was getting weighed down…I thought I was losing my son," she said, "and I was questioning whether or not I was being punished and if I had made the right decisions in my life…"

"Did something happen between you and Olivia, ma?" Rafe asked. He was secretly hoping that his mother had come to her senses because he honestly didn't care if he never saw Olivia Spencer again.

Natalia sighed before answering. "It's complicated, Rafe, but while I was at the retreat, I did a lot of praying and a lot of thinking without distraction. The time spent there helped me to put a lot of things into perspective and I just feel…clearer somehow."

"I'm glad," Rafe said. "I just want you to be okay." He also had a lot of time to think while his mother had been away and realized that he didn't want to be without her no matter what choice she made. "Look, ma…I can't say that I understand everything that's been going on with you or that I ever will, but I just want you to know that you haven't lost me. I love you no matter what," he assured her.

Fresh tears fell from Natalia's eyes and she reached to hug her son. A huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders with his words and she was happy that he was respecting her decisions even if he didn't agree with them. Briefly, she thought of telling him that she was pregnant, but just for tonight, she wanted to be with her son without any drama. Pulling back from the hug, she stood from the table and moved around the kitchen.

"Did you just get off work?" she asked, noticing the shirt he had on with the hardware store logo on it. "I could fix you something to eat."

Rafe patted his stomach. "I could eat," he smiled, watching his mother as she grabbed a can of soup from the cupboard.

"Sorry, this is all I have. Haven't been to the store yet," she smiled.

It was the most comfortable Rafe had been around his mother in a long time. There were no interruptions from Olivia, or even Frank, for a change and it reminded him of when it was just the two of them, before everything got so complicated. He hoped that her time away from Springfield, away from Olivia, made her realize that she didn't need the other woman.

"Oh, Rafe, I wanted to thank you for taking care of everything while I was gone," Natalia said over the noise of the can opener.

"All I did was check the mail, ma."

"And you cut the grass, and you watered the flowers," she smiled.

"Actually, that was Frank," he said. He watched as a fond look came to her face and it made him wonder.

"He really is a good man," she said. Although the circumstances surrounding the conception of her child were not the greatest, she was content with the knowledge that her baby would at least have two parents who loved him or her…three if Olivia would still have her. No matter what anyone had to say about Olivia Spencer, they couldn't deny that she was a wonderful mother. Emma was the brightest, happiest little girl she had ever met and that was all because of her mom. Even before they were friends, she had caught glimpses of Olivia with her guard down around her daughter and it was a beautiful thing to witness. It was a rare side to the woman that not many were lucky to experience, but she had and she would do anything to have it forever.

Ladling the now heated soup into two bowls, Natalia rejoined her son at the table, happy that their relationship seemed to finally be getting back to normal.

______

The next morning, Olivia opened her eyes and immediately squeezed them shut at the steady pounding of a headache. Since Emma was away with her dad, she took the opportunity to drown in her sorrows with a few too many glasses of wine. Slowly sitting up, she slid her bare legs over the side of the bed and ran her hands through messy hair. After finally gaining some strength, she made her way to the bathroom and stared blankly into the mirror. She had to find a way to move on from this. Natalia was not the end all be all of things and she would make it through just like she did the other hundred times when her heart had been stepped on.

"You just keep telling yourself that," she said to her reflection, her voice thick with sleep. Just as she stepped over to the shower, there was a loud knock on her door. She whimpered pathetically and hurried from the bathroom to find a robe, shrugging it on loosely. That last thing she wanted right now was company. The knocking started again and she testily threw the door open. "What!?" she yelled, looking to see who was bothering her at such an early hour. Any other insults she was ready to hurl immediately died on her lips as she stared into the pretty brown eyes of Natalia Rivera.


	2. Chapter 2

Natalia could feel her heart pounding at the sight of the woman before her. Olivia stood there with sleep rumpled hair, dressed in a short, white sleep shirt, exposing smooth, bare legs that ran down to painted toes, and a silky, black robe that hid nothing. She was breathtaking.

"Can I come in?" she asked softly. Olivia said nothing and Natalia quickly took advantage of her shocked state to slip past her and into the room before the brunette could decide to slam the door in her face. She looked around slowly, noticing the empty wine glass on the nightstand and the disheveled state of the bed. Looking toward the door, she watched Olivia's back as the woman seemed to slowly come back to reality and shut the door quietly. She stayed with her back to the room for a moment before turning around and Natalia's lip quivered at the pain she saw in her eyes. "Olivia?" her voice was barely more than a whisper. She knew she needed to explain things quickly or she might never get the chance.

"I know you must be confused right now," she began. "I was, too, when I left. I had just found out something devastating and I didn't know what to do." Her eyes watered, her mouth turned down into a frown and she did everything she could to keep from crying. Olivia had yet to move away from the door or say anything and it scared her. She was a passionate, outspoken woman and her silence was the last thing Natalia had expected. "I've had a lot of time to think about everything…really think about it…about God, about Rafe, about us…" she trailed off, "…and I'm so sorry that I didn't talk to you first." The tears finally fell from her eyes and she took a seat on the end of the bed. "I know that I must have hurt you terribly and that's the last thing I wanted to do. I love you so much, Olivia, but I didn't know how to tell you…tell you that…"

"Tell me what?" Olivia spoke quietly. She was surprised, to say the least, when she found Natalia on the other side of her door. For so long she had been angry and hurt, but once she saw her, the fight seemed to leave her body, leaving her deflated instead. She wanted to yell and scream and tell Natalia to get the hell out of her room, but she just couldn't. She couldn't help but wonder though. What could be so bad that Natalia was willing to ruin everything they had built together?

"I'm pregnant."

The silence hung between them for a long time and Natalia was quickly becoming worried by the lack of reaction.

"Please say something," she whispered.

Finally pushing away from the door, Olivia began slowly pacing in front of her. "Frank," she stated.

Natalia nodded and spoke. "Last winter after Coop's memorial. I was careless…just like…"

"Like when you and Gus were kids," Olivia finished.

"How could I have been so stupid to make the same mistake? I'm a grown woman, but I fooled around like some teenager," she said, full of self loathing.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

Natalia looked up to find Olivia standing in front of her, staring directly at her, her gaze piercing. "I was scared," she said, the explanation sounding hollow to her own ears. "Everything was already such a mess, and now a baby…"

"How could you think I wouldn't understand?"

"Olivia…"

"No," she said, holding a hand up to stop the other woman from speaking. "Did you think that my feelings for you were so shallow that I wouldn't have stood by you?" she asked. "You told Blake and Father Ray that you didn't want to see me. I was at the barbeque all day like some fool thinking that we were finally going to start our life together and all the while you were leaving town…leaving me and leaving Emma…" Olivia was unable to stop a sob from escaping.

"No…" Natalia cried, standing from the bed and reaching for Olivia. Her tears fell harder as the woman snatched away from her. "I love you and Emma more than anything!"

"You don't just leave the people you love behind," Olivia said. "We could have worked it out together, but you didn't trust me, in my love for you."

"No," Natalia said, forcefully taking Olivia's hands this time and holding them to her. "It's not too late. We can still figure this out…together."

Olivia wanted to, desperately. She wished she could forget about everything that happened, but when she thought about the sadness in her daughter's eyes and the way her heart constricted with pain, how could she possibly risk putting them through it again? She wasn't sure if she could survive it. They needed something steady and true in their lives and it was painfully obvious that Natalia wasn't ready to give them that. Slowly, she pulled her hands away and she hated herself for savoring the feel of the soft skin.

"You should go," she said, scrubbing her face roughly with her hands. "You need to take care of yourself and the baby." She moved further into the room, further away from Natalia. "You don't need the stress that a relationship with me would obviously bring you. You can move on with Frank and the baby and you can finally have a normal life." She smiled hollowly, quickly wiped her eyes again and headed toward the bathroom. "You should go now."

Natalia buried her face in her hands as she listened to the bathroom door close. Olivia was angry, and she understood that, but she would eventually make her see that they belonged together, that they could move past this. Olivia had always fought for them when things got rough and now it was her turn to do the same. She briefly thought about staying until Olivia came out, but she decided that it was best to give her some space. She wasn't giving up.

________________________________________

Frank walked through his apartment with a small trash can, cleaning up plastic cups and paper plates filled with everything from half eaten slices of pizza to chicken bones. Between him and Rafe, it was starting to become the epitome of a bachelor pad. His long hours at the station didn't grant him much time for cleanliness and Rafe had been working pretty hard himself at the hardware store.

As he continued to pick up the living room, he thought about Natalia and he wondered if she was okay. When Olivia had come to the police station a few weeks ago, afraid that she was missing, he immediately suggested that Natalia had gotten cold feet. He still thought that was probably the case. He never filled out a missing person's report that day, but he did a little digging of his own to find that Natalia had gone on a church retreat. That hardly qualified as missing. After a little more digging and a flash or two of his badge, it wasn't hard to find out exactly where she was either. The police detective decided that it was best to just let Natalia have her space and he chose not to tell Olivia where she was. He still wasn't convinced that she hadn't pushed her in some way. He knew what Natalia thought she knew about Olivia Spencer, but it was only a matter of time before she became a victim of her manipulation. Maybe then she could realize that what she had with him was real, more real than anything Olivia could ever give her. He too thought that Olivia had been capable of change at one time, ignoring the stories about her past, but in the end she showed her true colors and he was left with the broken heart. He hated to see the same thing happen to Natalia, but maybe that was what it would take in order for her to see.

"Morning, Frank."

He turned around to find a sleepy Rafe rubbing his eyes. "Hey, pal, late night?" he asked the young man.

"Kind of," he said, plopping onto the sofa. "I stopped by my mom's house after work."

"Everything okay out there? Did you get the mail?" Frank asked as he stuffed an empty chip bag into the trash.

"Everything's great, actually. She was there," Rafe smiled.

Frank immediately stopped what he was doing. "Natalia's back in town? How was she?" he asked.

"Calm down, man." Rafe laughed at his mentor's excitement. It was more than obvious that he still had the hots for his mother. "She's doing great. She seemed really happy. I haven't seen her that way in a long time."

"That's good," Frank nodded trying to act nonchalant.

"Maybe you should go over for a visit sometime," Rafe suggested. "She said she's seeing things differently now. I think her trip really helped." Balling up a used napkin, he tossed it into the trashcan Frank was holding like a basketball. "Listen, I'm gonna go jump in the shower. You should really think about seeing her. I think she'd like that."

Frank watched him go with a thoughtful look on his face.

________________________________________

That afternoon, Natalia moved around the kitchen, robotically preparing lunch for one. Two, she though with a sad smile as she gently rubber her stomach. She felt so lonely since coming home from the hotel. The farmhouse was big and empty and it just didn't hold the same joy that it once had. Only Olivia and Emma would be able to fill that void.

As she ate a lunch of soup and grilled cheese, she went through the huge stack of mail that had accumulated while she was gone. Knowing that she would have to get back to work soon, she grabbed the phone and dialed Blake's number, hoping that her job was still waiting for her.

"Blake Marler speaking."

"Blake, hi."

"Natalia," Blake said, surprise evident in her voice. "It's so nice to hear from you. Are you back in town?"

"I am actually. I really feel much better now. The retreat helped a lot," she said.

"Have you talked to Olivia?" Blake asked. "She was truly devastated at the barbeque a few weeks ago when I told her your message."

"I know," Natalia sighed, staring up at the kitchen ceiling. Blake seemed to have no idea how awful she was making her feel. "I've seen her." She purposely left out any details about her visit with Olivia. Blake had been a wonderful friend to Natalia in the short time she had known her, but she didn't want to say too much. She realized that while she had practically poured her heart out to Blake, telling her that she was pregnant, she should have been talking to Olivia instead. Quickly, she changed the subject before the inquisitive woman had a chance to ask anymore questions. "Blake, I was wondering if my job was still available."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. When you left town I had to hire a replacement."

Natalia closed her eyes in disappointment. It looked like she was going to have to search through the want ads again. Blake's job offer had practically fallen into her lap and it had disappeared just as quickly. "It's okay. I'm sure I'll find something else," she told her.

"I really am sorry, Natalia. If anything becomes available, I'll be sure to let you know," Blake promised.

"Thanks, Blake. I appreciate it." After saying goodbye, Natalia hung up the phone and sighed heavily. Since returning from the retreat, things were starting to become a lot harder than she thought they'd be.

________________________________________

Having left work early on account that she wasn't getting anything done anyway, Olivia paced her room as she waited for Phillip to drop Emma off. It was a beautiful day out and she decided to change into a pair of jeans and a short sleeve blue shirt and take Emma to the park.

Running a hand through her hair, she thought about the conversation she had with Natalia that morning. Finding out that she was pregnant had certainly been surprising, but it wasn't the end of the world either. She thought that Natalia should know by now that she would do anything for her. The hardest part was that she still loved Natalia immensely, but she didn't know if she could trust her not to run again. If they were together in every sense of the word, issue after issue was bound to come up and she didn't know if Natalia was strong enough to handle it. She would do anything for Natalia, but she couldn't carry the relationship by herself.

Olivia's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Emma bounded inside happily with Phillip following behind. "Hi, mommy," the little girl said cheerfully as she gave her mother a hug and kiss.

"Hey, Jellybean. Were you a good girl for your dad?" Olivia asked, looking at Phillip.

"She was a perfect angel," he smiled, answering for her.

Olivia nodded and noticed that he looked pretty tired. "She wore you out didn't she?" she smiled.

Phillip laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, she did," he said as he scooped Emma up into his arms, "but it was more that worth it."

"Emma, honey, why don't you go put your bag away okay? We're gonna go get something to eat."

Giving her father one last hug and kiss, she did as her mother told her.

"Listen," Phillip began after Emma was out of the room, "I was wondering if we could get together sometime and have dinner. I need to discuss something with you."

"Is everything alright?" Olivia questioned. Things were going well with Phillip, but a part of her would always be suspicious.

"Everything is fine. I promise," he said, trying to reassure her, "I just need to talk to you about something that's come up."

"Okay," Olivia said, but Phillip's cell phone rang before she got a chance to question things further.

"I'm sorry. I have to go take care of a few things," he said, moving to the door. "I'll call you about dinner. Tell Emma I love her."

Olivia shrugged as he rushed out the door and went to help Emma put her things away.

________________________________________

"I'm bored," Emma sighed as she plopped down onto the bench where her mother was sitting.

"Bored? We just got here," Olivia said, sliding her arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"I know, but there's barely anyone here today. The ducks aren't even here."

Olivia twisted her mouth to the side as she looked around to see that there were only about five other people in the park. "Well, what do you want to do? We can't waste this beautiful day?"

Emma smiled at her mother sweetly before answering. "We could go to the farmhouse and see if the ducks are there."

"Emma…"

"That way we can see if Natalia is home yet," the little girl pleaded.

Olivia didn't plan on keeping the fact that Natalia was home a secret from her daughter forever, but she knew the little girl would want to go and see her immediately. Aside from whatever problems she and Natalia were having, she would never stop Emma from having a relationship with her, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to see her again so soon. She wished she could forgive and forget as easily as Emma was sure to.

"Not today, Em, okay? But I promise we'll go visit soon."

"Okay," she said deflated. "Let's go to over to the gazebo," she smiled.

Olivia was amazed at her child's ability to not let anything keep her down for long. "You go ahead. I'll be there in a minute…and be careful!" she yelled as Emma took off running. After gathering up their leftovers from lunch, she slowly made her way over. As hurt as she was by Natalia's actions, she couldn't help but think about her. Had she told Frank about the baby yet? Were they making plans together?

"Mommy!?"

Olivia hurried over to the gazebo at the sound of her daughter's voice and came up short when she realized what she yelling about.

"Mommy, look? Natalia's back!"

________________________________________

Leaning against the entrance to the gazebo, Olivia watched Natalia hugging her daughter tightly.

"Oh, I missed you so much," Natalia said, her eyes wet with tears.

"I missed you, too. Where did you go? Why did you leave?" Emma asked.

Natalia smiled at her sadly before glancing at Olivia. "Baby, I just had an emergency to take care of, but everything is okay now," she said, stroking the little girl's face.

"You promise you won't leave again?" Emma asked, seeming to accept Natalia's explanation without question.

"I promise, sweetie," Natalia said as she pulled the little girl into another hug, looking at Olivia over her shoulder. "I promise."

Olivia looked away, discreetly wiping a tear from her cheek. She wanted to believe that more than anything.

"Mom, aren't you happy to see Natalia?" Emma asked as she walked over to drag her mother further into the structure. "You should give her a hug so she knows how much we missed her."

Natalia and Olivia found themselves face to face with Emma watching expectantly. Olivia's heart was racing and she couldn't come up with any good excuse not to hug the other woman, none her daughter would understand anyway.

Gently taking Olivia's hands, Natalia stepped closer, softly brushing her thumbs against the knuckles. She had wanted nothing more than to hold Olivia since she got back and it was no surprise that Emma was the one to present her with the opportunity.

"Emma!"

All three looked to the source of the little girl's name being called to see her friend Jodie running toward the gazebo. Emma wasted no time in running off to see her schoolmate and Olivia took the opportunity to take a step back, slipping her hands free.

"Olivia…please…"

"Please what, Natalia?"

She watched Olivia look everywhere except at her. "I know you're angry with me right now," she began, a tear slipping free, "but I still need my best friend."

Olivia closed her eyes at the sadness in Natalia's voice. "Have you told Frank yet?" she asked as she finally turned to face the other woman again.

"No."

Just as Olivia was about to respond, Emma came running back. She went straight to Natalia and grabbed her hand. "Can we come to the farmhouse? We haven't been there in forever!" she said excitedly.

"Emma, I don't think…"

"I'd love it if you and your mommy came by," Natalia interrupted. She knew she wasn't exactly playing fair, but she wasn't willing to be without Olivia and Emma in her life. "I could make dinner for all of us."

"Please, mommy, can we?"

"You know what, Em, I actually have some things to take care of, but why don't you ride along with Natalia and I'll stop by later to pick you up."

"No, you have to come, too. It'll be just like before when we all lived together."

Olivia looked into her daughter's pleading eyes and then Natalia's, which held the same expression. Natalia knew that no matter what happened between them, Olivia would never stop her from having a relationship with Emma and she was obviously using that to her advantage.

"Fine," she finally relented, "but we can only stay for a little while."

________________________________________

Natalia busied herself in the kitchen while Olivia and Emma took a walk around the yard. She knew Olivia wasn't happy with the way she got them to the farmhouse, but all she cared about at the moment was that they were there at all. At Emma's request, they were having lasagna for dinner. Just as she was putting the cheese on top, extra because knew Olivia liked it, her two favorite girls came bursting through the door, bringing the freshness of the outdoors inside with them. She smiled at the sight of them, wishing it were an everyday occurrence.

"Dinner's almost ready," she said.

"It smells so good," Emma said excitedly, sniffing the air.

"Go to the bathroom and wash your hands, Jellybean." Olivia watched her daughter run along, knowing that it was the happiest she had been in weeks. Even her time with Phillip didn't put such a smile on her face. Sighing, she leaned against the wall as she watched Natalia set the table.

"I'm glad you and Emma are here," Natalia said. "It hasn't been the same since the two of you moved out."

"When are you going to tell him?" Olivia asked.

Natalia finished setting the table and sighed. "Soon."

"The longer you wait the harder it's going to be." Olivia knew that Natalia had a predilection for trying to wait until the 'right time', but if anything she should have learned by now that there was never a right time for some things.

"I know. I just…"

"All clean," Emma said as she came back into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

Natalia breathed a sigh of relief. Emma had impeccable timing.

________________________________________

Dinner managed to not be such an awkward affair, thanks to Emma, and Olivia actually found that she was enjoying herself. Things were always easy when it was just the three of them, but as soon as the outside world invaded, everything seemed to go haywire. Now, Olivia found herself sitting out on the porch while Emma and Natalia were inside watching television. She wanted to give them as much time together as possible because she didn't plan on making it a habit of coming out to the farmhouse everyday, but she knew it was important for Emma to know that Natalia loved her. She looked up when she heard the door open.

Natalia smiled hesitantly and took a seat on the bench next to Olivia. "Emma fell asleep," she explained.

Olivia nodded. "I guess we should be going." She made to stand up, but was stopped by Natalia's hand grabbing her own.

"Please, don't go…not yet," she pled.

Olivia sighed and eased back into the bench. She looked at the hand holding hers and was unable to stop her fingers from grasping it tighter.

Natalia rested their joined hands on her leg, secretly thrilled that Olivia hadn't let go. "I still want us to be a family," she began softly. "When I left…it wasn't because I was questioning my love for you. I know how I feel about you," she said with certainty, "but I panicked. I'm pregnant, Olivia." She had known for a month now, but it was still unbelievable.

"I know," Olivia sighed, "but we could have dealt with this together."

"You're right," Natalia said, squeezing Olivia's hand tighter, "and after everything we've been through, I should have trusted in that and I am so sorry that I hurt you. That's the last thing I ever wanted to do."

Deep down, Olivia knew that and she also knew that she couldn't stay angry with her. She simply loved her too much. But what she didn't know was if she could take the risk again.

"I want us to be a family too, but what about the next time something happens?" she asked. "What if we were to finally start telling everyone about us? Can you handle all of the judgment and the stares? And now people are going to know that you're pregnant with Frank's child. I don't want to force you into something that you're not ready for, but when we were at the spa, we agreed that we couldn't hold each other back either. I love you," Olivia said, reaching to wipe a tear from Natalia face, "but if even the tiniest part of you is ashamed about how we feel then this is never going to work."

Natalia stayed quiet, feeling lonely the second Olivia pulled her hand away and stood up. Why couldn't she find the words to make her understand?

Olivia took Natalia's silence as an affirmation and a stab of the searing pain she felt while Natalia was gone returned tenfold. "Listen, maybe Emma could just stay here tonight. I know she still has some clothes here."

"Of course she can," Natalia said sniffling.

"Good. She missed you like crazy," Olivia said, smiling sadly. "Just tell her that I love her and that I'll be back tomorrow to pick her up."

Natalia watched helplessly as she got into her car and drove away. How was she ever going to fix things between them?

________________________________________

Doris Wolfe sat unaccompanied at a corner table in Towers, as usual, and pushed a crouton around her plate with her fork. She was tired of being alone all the time. Lady's Night was as close as she ever got to living her real life, but she didn't want to spend all of her time in a bar. She yearned to be free, to bring a date to Tower's or anywhere else she wanted. If that were to ever happen, then she knew it meant telling her daughter Ashley first, but that wasn't really the only thing stopping her. She had always been a career woman and she wasn't sure the people of Springfield would have elected her as mayor if they knew she was a lesbian. Coming out to everyone could very possibly be career suicide and she wasn't ready to give that up. Doris looked up from her uneaten Caesar salad at the sound of Olivia Spencer's voice ordering a drink.

"Martini…dirty," she told the young bartender before sliding onto a stool.

"Olivia," Doris called. The brunette woman looked over, thanked the bartender for her drink and made her way over to Doris' table. "Uh oh," the mayor said as she glanced at the drink. "What happened now?"

Olivia stayed silent for a moment, taking a slow sip of her drink before answering. "Natalia's back," came the simple answer.

"And?" Doris said, eagerly listening for more of an explanation. "Why aren't you with her instead of drowning yourself in martinis?"

"It's not going to work, Doris. She left me and Emma. What's to stop her from leaving again if she gets scared?" Olivia asked.

Doris watched the woman as she pushed the hair out of her face and rubbed her forehead. "Well, why did she leave in the first place?"

Olivia wasn't sure if she should tell Doris about the pregnancy. She had been a great confidant over the past few months, but she hadn't forgotten the whole My Two Mommies tirade either. "She just freaked about something, but it wasn't anything that we couldn't have handled together."

Doris was well aware that Olivia was leaving out some of the details, but she chose to ignore it. "And why can't you two still deal with whatever it is?"

"Because…" Olivia began angrily, taking a deep breath to calm herself, "…because you don't just abandon the person you claim to love. I can't live my life everyday wondering if she's going to bolt without telling me."

"And does she still want to be with you?" Doris asked.

"She says she does." Olivia looked up at Doris' incredulous laughter.

"Then what's the problem, Olivia? She came back didn't she?"

"That's not the point!"

"Of course that's the point! She went away for nearly an entire month on a religious retreat and yet she still came back to you in the end. That's gotta mean something." Doris watched Olivia stare into her drink unblinkingly and sighed. "Look, you and I have made a lot of mistakes in our lives and we've had more second chances than any one person deserves. So your precious Natalia made a mistake…big deal! I saw how you were when you went looking for her, Olivia. You are crazy in love with that woman and if you don't forgive her and get on with your life then you are only going to end up regretting it later on," Doris finished, impassioned.

Olivia looked at her, but remained silent. She knew Doris was right, but she was scared to risk her heart again. When Natalia was gone she felt like she was practically dying and if she chanced her heart again and Natalia left again, she just knew she would. Never in her life had she ever loved someone so fully and it was the best and worst thing she had ever experienced.

"Listen, I have to go," Doris said as she laid some money out for her meal. "Think about what I said, but don't wait until it's too late."

Olivia watched her go, already lost in thought about what she had said. Laying some money down for her own half finished drink, she left the restaurant.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Olivia groaned at the sound of her cell phone ringing. The time read 10:00am, but it felt like she had just fallen asleep.

"Hello," she mumbled into the device.

"Mommy?"

She sat up immediately at the sound of her daughter's voice. "Baby, what is it? Are you and Natalia okay?" she asked alarmed.

"We're okay. Natalia's still sleeping and I just wanted to call and say good morning to you," Emma said.

Olivia gave a sigh of relief and smiled sleepily into the phone. "Good morning, Jellybean. Did Natalia make you breakfast?" she asked.

"Yep. We had cereal and toast."

Emma sounded perfectly fine with it, but to Olivia it sounded strange. Natalia was adamant about having a large breakfast and cold cereal and toast wasn't like her, and the fact that she was still sleeping at ten o'clock in the morning was even stranger. "Listen, baby, I'll be there in just a little while, okay?" After saying goodbye, Olivia immediately headed for the shower, dressed and hurried to the farmhouse.

~~~

"Emma, Natalia?" Olivia called as she entered the back door. She made her way through the kitchen to the living room and spotted Emma on the couch, watching cartoons. "Hey, baby," she said as Emma hugged her. "Where's Natalia?"

"She's still sleeping," the little girl said, her mind already back into the cartoons.

Olivia sat her purse down and headed to the stairs. She made her way up to Natalia's room quickly and slowly opened the door. The curtains had been drawn, allowing the bright sunlight to shine forth, but the lump in the bed was covered from head to toe. "Natalia?" Olivia called softly as she sat on the edge of the mattress. A muffled moan came from underneath the blankets, and Olivia reached out to tug them down, revealing a tired looking Natalia underneath. "Hey, wake up, sleepyhead," she teased.

Natalia squeezed her eyes shut against the brightness of the sun and slowly sat up. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Nearly eleven," Olivia answered. "Emma called me an hour ago."

"Eleven?" Natalia said, nearly panicked. "Oh, my god. I never sleep this late."

"Are you sick?" Olivia asked. She brushed long dark hair away from Natalia's face and laid the back of her hand to her forehead.

"No…no not sick. I think I'm just really tired," Natalia explained. "I was always tired when I was pregnant with Rafe, too." She closed her eyes and savored the feel of Olivia's touch. "Is Emma okay?"

"She's fine. She's watching cartoons," Olivia explained. She watched as Natalia took her hand, intertwining their fingers. It felt so good to touch her.

"Will you stay with me today," Natalia asked softly, shyly, "you and Emma?"

Olivia sighed quietly and thought about her conversation with Doris last night. She couldn't think about anything else. No matter how hurt she was, she still wanted Natalia, wanted a life with her. "Okay," she finally answered, "we can do that." The smile on Natalia's face was enough to make her heart melt. She wasn't ready to pick up where they left off, but she would always be Natalia's friend and right now, her friend needed her.

~~~

Over the next week, Olivia and Emma had become reacquainted with the farmhouse again much to Natalia's delight. Summer camp had ended and, while Olivia was at work, Emma stayed with Natalia if she didn't have plans with her friends. It ensured that Natalia saw Olivia almost everyday and she would take whatever time she could get with the beautiful woman. She had even talked her into staying for dinner a few nights.

One night after dinner, Olivia and Natalia sat in the kitchen talking while Emma was in the living room watching television. Natalia listened contently as Olivia talked about her day. She was still dressed for work in a black pencil skirt and a black, sleeveless top to match. Her thick, dark hair fell around her shoulders, her bangs partially covering one eye, and Natalia yearned to run her fingers through it. Her legs were crossed and one very high heel dangled from her foot. Natalia averted her eyes and took a sip of water to calm herself, reprimanding herself for thinking about how stunning Olivia looked as opposed to paying attention to what she was saying.

"We're completely booked for the next three months and I'm up to my ears in bids and proposals," she explained while rubbing the back of her neck.

Natalia could see that she was exhausted. "You want some more wine?" she asked, noticing the glass was nearly empty.

"No, thanks. Emma and I should get going," she said standing.

"You don't have to," Natalia said with an uncertain smile.

"I don't want to confuse Emma," Olivia said. "She asks me nearly everyday if we're moving back in and if we start spending the night…if I start spending the night, it's going to confuse her. We need something stable."

"The hotel is not stable," Natalia said. She didn't mean to put so much ridicule in her voice, but it was too late to take it back.

"Maybe it's not a real home, but it's been the most stable thing in our lives for quite some time," Olivia replied. She looked away at the hurt in Natalia's eyes. "Besides, I've been thinking about it and maybe it's finally time that we got a house of our own. The house that Blake showed me is still available. Can you believe it?" she said, putting much more joy in her voice than she felt.

The hurt look on Natalia's face morphed into downright crestfallen. "But you already have a home…here with me."

"Natalia…"

"No, Olivia," she interrupted, fraught. "Why won't you forgive me?" she pled.

Olivia sighed and closed her eyes. "I do forgive you, Natalia, but that doesn't mean we can just pick up where we left off. I've had a lot of time to think, too, and maybe you were right when you questioned if we would work or not." She laughed humorlessly. "Look at us?" She gestured between the two of them. "We've spent months and months trying to figure out how to be together and it still hasn't worked. Maybe it's a sign," she shrugged. "And even if we could figure this out, there's still the fact that Rafe hates my guts."

"He doesn't hate you. He just…"

"Natalia, he hates me," Olivia said definitively. She easily recalled the accusations he had thrown her way while his mother was missing and she could see the disgust in his eyes as he looked at her. "If Rafe won't come around because I'm in the picture, I know how much that would hurt you and I'd rather just stay away for the sake of your relationship with your son."

"Don't you think that would hurt just as bad?" Natalia said angrily. She was tired of everyone deciding what was best for her. "I know that Rafe is struggling with all of this, but that doesn't mean that I'm willing to give you up either." It was one of the issues she had dealt with at the retreat. "I've lived my entire life for my son and I would do just about anything to make him happy, but my happiness has to matter, too," she stated firmly.

Olivia shook her head slowly. She wanted to believe that. "Look," she said, deciding that she'd had enough talking for one night, "Emma and I need to get going. We've got a lot to do tomorrow."

Natalia could only watch as she left the kitchen to collect her daughter.

~~~

The following week was lonely for Natalia. Emma stayed busy with friends and family and Olivia was using work as the reason she couldn't stop by the farmhouse. Rafe stopped by once and they talked everyday on the phone, but he was busy with work, also. The search for a job of her own was proving to be impossible and it seemed as if no one was hiring, which wasn't a surprise considering the economy. She was still able to pay her bills for the time being, but her bank account was steadily dwindling and she was getting concerned. She was going to need to prepare for the baby and she couldn't do that if she didn't have a job.

Natalia realized that once she told Frank she was pregnant that he would probably be more than willing to help her financially, but she cringed at just the thought of it. She would do whatever she needed to do to support her own child, even if that meant working two jobs through the entire pregnancy. Briefly, she thought about her old job at Company, but that would be too awkward, especially if anyone were to find out about her and Olivia. Working for the father of the guy you dumped at the altar for a woman and then ended up pregnant by just didn't seem like a good idea. And besides that, Buzz wasn't very fond of her these days.

Sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of water and a half eaten sandwich, Natalia looked at the bills and bank statements spread out before her. If her calculations were correct, she could live comfortably for another three months without having to worry…but she was a worrier by nature and that wasn't good enough. The baby would be born by then anyway and she wouldn't be able to work right away at first. Her worry level had just skyrocketed. She had already been on three job interviews and, so far, no one had called her back. Pushing the papers aside for the time being, she forced herself to think of other things.

"I need to tell Frank," she said aloud to the empty room. She thought about when she had first come to Springfield. Compared to the rest of the town, she had been the epitome of normal and now here she was living a soap opera life just like the rest of them.

Natalia was pulled from her thoughts by a loud knock at the back door. Standing up quickly, she peered through the window to see who it was, her heart thundering in her chest when she saw that it was Frank. Oh my god, she though frantically. She had planned on telling him very soon, but she hadn't even gone over what she was going to say.

She smiled nervously as she opened the door to greet him. "Frank." If he noticed, he didn't let on.

"Hello, Natalia," he said, smiling politely at her. "Uh… Rafe told me you were back and just decided that I would come by and see how you were."

She noticed that he seemed a little nervous, too. "Please, come in," she said, holding the door open for him. "Can I get you something?"

Frank smiled gently. Natalia's kindness had always been one of the things he loved most about her. "Sure. I could use something to drink," he said, taking her up on her offer. It was a hot day after all. He took a seat at the kitchen table and watched as she pulled a pitcher of iced tea from the fridge.

"Is this okay?" she asked. "I just made it fresh this morning."

"That'd be great," Frank said. She looked beautiful. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing jeans and a short sleeve black shirt. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't still in love with her. To say that he was devastated when he found out about her and Olivia would be an understatement. He had been angry with both of them, convinced that Olivia had somehow manipulated her. Natalia had denied it of course, but he still didn't trust Olivia. She and Natalia were like night and day, the difference between good and evil, and he hated to stand by and watch her inevitably get hurt. The fact that she had taken off so abruptly, after being so certain that she was in love with Olivia, only furthered his thinking that the devious woman had done something to hurt her.

"How have you been, Frank?" Natalia asked, taking a sip of tea to wet her suddenly parched mouth. Her shirt was big enough so that she hoped he wouldn't notice before she got a chance to tell him.

"I think I should be asking you that," Frank smiled as he took a long swallow. "You kinda just disappeared there for a while," he said.

"I know…I know," she said quietly. "I just had a lot on my mind and I needed to get away."

Frank simply nodded. "I figured Olivia would be here with you," he commented casually, watching her carefully for a reaction.

"Um…Olivia and I…we're just taking things slow right now," Natalia explained. She had no desire to discuss her and Olivia's relationship with Frank.

Frank's eyebrows rose almost imperceptibly. A few weeks ago, Olivia told him that she and Natalia had planned on going to the picnic together and now they were taking it slow? Maybe Natalia had come to her senses after all, realizing the type of person Olivia really was.

"Uh…Frank, there's something I need to tell you about why I went away to the church retreat," she began. Her heart was pounding and she was sure he could hear it.

Frank was practically on the edge of his seat. "Listen, I know we've all been through a lot the past few months, but I'd like to think that we could still be friends," he said as he gently placed his hand on top of hers where it rested on the table. "You can tell me anything."

Natalia had barely heard a thing he said, instead focused on trying to make her mouth form the words she needed to say. "Frank…I'm…I'm pregnant," she finally said softly. She watched him unblinkingly for a reaction and his hand slowly slid from hers as he sat back in his seat. "It happened last winter…and you're the only person I've been with," she continued. "I only just found out before I left." Frank stayed quiet with an unreadable expression on his face. "Please say something," Natalia said.

"Natalia…I don't know what to say." He stood up from the table and began pacing. Natalia was pregnant with his child. He was going to be a father again. "Why did you leave instead of just telling me?" he asked.

Natalia closed her eyes and sighed. It was the one question she knew she would be asked and it was the one question she knew she didn't have an answer for. Lapse in judgment? Stupidity? Panic? "I don't know, Frank," she shrugged. "I was scared. So much has already happened and now a child?" she said.

Finally getting a grip on his thoughts, Frank sat back down and took her hand once again. "You know I'll be there for you, Natalia. I know this isn't an ideal situation, but I'll support you and our child in any way I can," he said seriously. When he thought that they would be spending the rest of their lives together, he'd imagined children with Natalia plenty of times. He meant it when he said it wasn't the ideal situation, but a part of him couldn't help but be a little excited.

The look in Frank's eyes was eerily similar to the one he had when he proposed to her and she squeezed his hand once before letting it go and standing from the table. "I really appreciate that Frank." It was all she could think to say. "I haven't told Rafe yet, so please don't say anything to him."

"Well, maybe we ought to tell him together," Frank suggested.

"I really think that this is something I should do myself, but thanks for the offer," she said with a small smile. Her relationship with her son was already fragile and she didn't want him finding out from someone else.

"Who else knows about this?" Frank asked.

"Blake and Olivia are the only other two people who know," Natalia answered. "I know that you and Blake are good friends, but please don't be mad at her. I asked her not to tell anyone and she's been a really good friend to me."

"Don't worry, Natalia. I'm not upset with Blake," he assured. He was more concerned with the fact that Olivia knew about the baby and she wasn't here helping the woman she claimed to love so much. Before he was able to question it any further, his pager went off. Checking the number, he immediately stood up. "I'm sorry. I have to get going," he said.

"It's okay," Natalia smiled. "You're a busy man."

"Listen," Frank said as he moved closer to her, placing his hand on her upper arms, "I'm going to be there for you and the baby. I wouldn't abandon you at a time like this. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to call me. I know my job is pretty unpredictable, but I can take you to doctor's appointments or anywhere else you need to go. I can make midnight runs to the grocery store for ice cream and pickles," he joked.

Natalia smiled politely and felt a little guilty that she didn't want any of those things from him. She just wanted Olivia. "Thanks, Frank."

"And I can be available for you financially, also, Natalia."

"No, no, Frank. That isn't necessary," she said shaking her head, immediately squashing the idea. "I'm okay…really." It wasn't a complete lie. "I'm just glad that you're taking all of this so well."

Frank shrugged a little. "Well, it isn't exactly how I pictured a future with you, but we'll make it work," he smiled. After giving her a kiss on the forehead, Frank made his leave.

Natalia watched him from the door, feeling uncomfortable with the whole situation. Something in Frank's eyes and in his voice made her think that he thought the situation was more than what it was. Granted, it was a lot, and she would never think of shutting Frank out of the baby's life, but she had a feeling that he thought his role was that of father and husband. She was sure they would be seeing a lot more of each other as time went on and she was going to have to clarify a few more things, first and foremost, Olivia would be a huge part of her child's life.

~~~

Sitting in her office with a cold cup of coffee, Olivia gazed blankly at the job applications in front of her. There was a position open for a maid and of course that led her to thinking about Natalia and when she first started working as a maid at the Beacon. It was funny how one could go from hating a person to loving a person like that. Natalia was the love of her life. She was sure of it. They hadn't even shared a proper kiss or made love, and, in a sense, that was what made it even more real. They weren't even technically together at the moment, but she was still sure of it, which was why it hurt so badly.

Doris's words came to her once again and she wondered if it was fair of her to hold this against Natalia. She shouldn't have left without telling her, but was it really the end of the world? She had certainly done worse to those she claimed to love in the past. She wanted nothing more than to be with Natalia at that very moment, but she also needed to know that she would never leave her again. She knew she wouldn't survive it if she did.

Calling it quits for the day, Olivia turned the lights off and locked her office. She and Natalia needed to talk, but she was too tired to do it today. Making her way too her room, she stripped off her clothes and changed into a pair of gray lounge pants and a t-shirt. She was too tired to even eat and decided that a nap was in order. Turning down the blankets, she crawled into bed and fell asleep immediately.

~~~

That evening, Natalia sat out on the porch, enjoying the beautiful, sunny day and the warm breeze. A dinner consisting of baked chicken and vegetables was cooking in the oven. She felt so much better now that Frank new she was pregnant. She still needed to tell Rafe and she vowed to do so the very next time she saw him, but she felt like things were finally moving forward in her life. As nice as the day had been, so far, she knew only one thing would make it even better.

It had been days since she last saw Olivia or even heard her voice on the phone and she decided that if Olivia wouldn't come to the farmhouse then she would go to the Beacon. Natalia knew that she had hurt Olivia badly and she knew the woman was shying away from their relationship because she thought Natalia might leave her again, but she would just have to prove to her that she wouldn't, that she could trust her.

Hearing the timer for the stove going off, Natalia made her way inside and carefully removed the food from the oven. Pulling containers from the cabinets, she set about packing the meal up and placing it into an old, cloth grocery sack. Olivia was going to talk to her whether she wanted to or not and stopping by with dinner was the perfect excuse to go and see her. She knew the woman tended to not take care of herself properly when she was upset about something and she had a pretty good hunch that she hadn't eaten dinner.

After double checking to make sure she had everything she needed for their meal, Natalia grabbed her purse and keys from the living room and made her way outside. She locked the door and turned to walk to her car, but stopped short when she saw Rafe pulling up to the house.

"Hey, ma, you goin' somewhere?" he asked as he joined her on the walkway.

"Yes, actually. I was just about to go and see Olivia." She watched his reaction carefully. He looked away, seemingly uncomfortable, but his face didn't seem to be filled with the disgust that he had expressed in the past. "I haven't seen her much since I got back."

Rafe nodded. "Well, Frank left me a message while I was at work. He said I should come and see you," he explained.

Natalia was sure to keep the look of annoyance off her face. She didn't appreciate Frank rushing the situation one bit. There was no choice but to tell him now or he would be upset that she hadn't told him sooner. Making her way back to the porch, she set her things down on the bench, took a deep breath and turned to face her son.

"There is something I need to tell you, Rafael. Something important," she began.

"Okay, I'm listening," he said as he came to stand next to her.

"It's the reason I left so suddenly to go to the church retreat," she began. She really hadn't been prepared to do this twice in one day and she sent up a quick prayer that he wouldn't overreact like he did when he found out about her and Olivia. "Rafe…I'm pregnant…and Frank is the father." She watched as his eyebrows practically disappeared into his hairline. He scrubbed a hand over his face roughly and stared out into the yard.

"Pregnant?" he finally said after a few moments. He laughed humorlessly and looked at her. "Ma, do you even realize how crazy this whole situation is?"

"Of course, I do, Rafe. Why do you think I left the way I did? I didn't plan for any of this to happen."

"Mom, I feel like we're on Jerry Springer or somethin'!" he yelled, running his hand through his hair.

"Rafe, please…" Natalia said, closing her eyes.

"You're going to do the right thing, aren't you?" he asked.

"If you mean the right thing as in raising this child, then absolutely," she said, wondering how he could question whether she would or not.

"No, ma, that's not what I mean. I mean you're going to marry Frank, right?" It was what he would have done if Daisy hadn't gotten an abortion. He would have been a man and taken care of his family.

Natalia was stunned. The conversation was quickly spinning out of control. "Is that what you want me to do, Rafe? You want me to marry a man I don't love and spend the rest of my life with him just because we share a child together?"

"I want you to do the right thing!" he practically yelled. "All my life you made me go to church and now it's like you don't even believe in it anymore," he accused.

"I made you go to church because I believe it provides guidance, I still do, but I've never taught you to follow the church or anything else blindly, Rafe. You still have to make decisions for yourself and that's what I'm doing," she told him.

"No," he said, looking away from her. "This isn't you. Ever since you started hanging around Olivia, you've been different. Why can't you see her for who she really is, ma? She selfish and she doesn't care about anyone but herself and she's just going to use you like she has everyone else in this town. Gus is dead because of her!"

Tears welled in Natalia's eyes at the accusations her son was making. "When did you become so hateful, Rafael?" she shrugged, at a loss. "Olivia has done more for both of us than you'll probably ever know." He shook his head and looked away. "People change, Rafe. People deserve second chances and believe it or not, you probably wouldn't be having your second chance right now if it wasn't for Olivia's help."

"You don't know what you're saying, ma. You're too innocent to see that she's using you."

Natalia shook her head, hurt that her own son thought of her as too naïve to make a conscious decision for herself. "I love Olivia, Rafe. This isn't some passing phase. I want a life with her…and you and Emma. I love you more than anything in this world, but you're becoming a grown man now and I can't live my life for you anymore."

Rafe looked at her, his face saddened. "I feel like I don't even know you anymore, mama."

Wiping her tears, Natalia moved to gather her bags once again. "I don't want to argue with you, Rafe. There's food inside if you're hungry. You can use you're key to get in, but just make sure to lock up when you leave. Drive carefully," she said before walking to her car.

Rafe watched until her car disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

After knocking on Olivia's door softly and getting no answer, Natalia pulled the keycard from her purse and entered as quietly as she could. The lights were off in the room, but the curtains were open and the late evening sun provided enough light to see by. Olivia lay sleeping on the far side of the bed and Natalia sat her bags down on the sofa before taking a seat on the edge of the mattress.

Her talk with Rafe had left her deflated, to say the least. She looked at Olivia's sleeping face and frowned. The only person who ever believed in her was angry with her and she felt alone. She was proud of herself for keeping her tears in check on the drive over, but now she found herself with a hand over her mouth, trying to silently fight them back and failing miserably.

Olivia awoke suddenly, immediately alarmed when she saw Natalia sitting on the edge of her bed crying. "Hey," she said, sitting up in the bed and placing a hand on the young woman's back. "Hey, what's wrong?" She smoothed her hand up and down comfortingly, increasingly becoming worried as Natalia seemed to cry harder. Wiping a few of her tears away, she wasted no time in pulling the woman into her embrace. "Natalia, sweetheart, tell me what's wrong…please?" Olivia said as she placed a kiss to the top of her head.

Natalia tried to force herself to calm down before speaking. She wiped at the tears that seemed to just keep coming and she took a moment to simply be wrapped in Olivia's embrace, her body comforting and warm from sleep. "I feel like I'm losing everything I love," she said as more tears poured out. "Rafe hates me…and you don't want me anymore," she cried. She buried her face in Olivia's neck, afraid that it would be the last time she would ever hold her this way.

Olivia felt her own tears forming as she held the distraught woman against her tightly. "Of course, I want you," she whispered softly, passionately. She wanted her more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. Remembering the promise she made earlier to have a talk with Natalia about working things out, she decided that now was as good a time as ever. "I'm just scared," she said.

Natalia's tears had slowly stopped, but she didn't dare move from the comfort of Olivia's arms. "I know and that's my fault. I wish I had done things differently. I should have never left without telling you," she sniffled.

"Come here," Olivia commanded gently, indicating for Natalia to join her more fully on the bed. She kicked her shoes off and quickly reclaimed her position, snuggled in Olivia's arms. "Natalia, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever known," she began, "inside and out. You stood by me when I was at my worst and you gave me the biggest second chance of my life when you gave me Gus's heart." Olivia brushed away some of the hair that had fallen into the young woman's face and tilted her chin up to look at her. "I've been thinking and I'm not willing to give up what I know we could have together just because of one mistake." She suddenly smiled a brilliant smile. "I've certainly made enough mistakes in my life for the both of us," she joked.

Natalia felt like she was floating as she stared into Olivia's eyes, which seemed to sparkle when she smiled. How could she have walked away from her? "You know, I came over here to court you," she began shyly. Olivia's smile only got bigger and apparently it was contagious as she felt the corners of her own mouth lifting in response. "I came over here to prove to you that I could be strong for us and instead I end up a sobbing mess," she said, burying her face against Olivia's neck once again.

"Tell me why you were crying," Olivia said, placing a kiss on her temple. She felt Natalia sigh deeply against her.

"I told Frank and Rafe about the baby," she said.

"And how did that go?" Olivia asked, wishing she had been there to support her.

"Frank was actually okay with it," Natalia said, she left out the strange feeling she got from him before he left. "Rafe…Rafe wasn't very understanding." She hesitated before telling the next part. "He thinks that I should do the proper thing and marry Frank."

"What do you think?" Olivia asked, choosing her words carefully.

Natalia immediately picked up on the doubt in the other woman's voice and she knew she needed to be completely open in order to alleviate those fears. "I think it would be a huge mistake to marry Frank just because we're going to have a child together. Even worse than if we had gotten married before," she explained. "I'm happy with the fact that Frank wants to be a good father, but I don't love him and I can't force myself to love him," she said, looking into Olivia's face. "I love you…I'm in love with you and I want you to be a part of this child's life as much as I'm a part of Emma's life now."

"I want that, too," Olivia said softly, she closed her eyes as Natalia wiped away the trickle of tears that had escaped.

"Rafe says that he feels like he doesn't know me anymore. For the first time, my world doesn't revolve around what he needs and it's a huge change for both of us."

"What if he never accepts us?" Olivia asked. It had been a fear of hers for a while now. She knew Natalia would be heartbroken if Rafe were to cut her out of his life.

"I've thought about that a lot," she said. "It's one of the things I came to terms with while I was at the retreat. I think there comes a point when parents simply have to let go. Rafe can't make my decisions for me and as much as I want him with us, I don't want to be unhappy for the rest of my life, missing out on what we could've had. I can't even imagine loving anyone else," Natalia finished.

"I can't either," Olivia said softly as she ran a finger along Natalia's jaw line. She had missed being able to touch her like that. "I know this isn't easy for you."

"It isn't, but I think we deserve to be happy," she said. Olivia smiled at her softly and it was like a balm. Her eyes wandered over the beautiful face, still slightly relaxed from sleepiness, and landed on her mouth.

"I missed you, so much," Olivia whispered.

"I missed you, too. I'm so sorry…"

"No. Don't apologize anymore." She lightly ran her thumb along Natalia's bottom lip before leaning in to kiss her softly. Never in her life had she waited so long to simply kiss someone, but god it was worth it. Her lips were as soft as she had always imagined they would be.

Natalia was thrilled at the sensations their kiss was creating within her. Their lips barely touched, but she still felt weak from the slight pressure. As full lips pressed against hers more firmly, she felt an achy tingle travel throughout her entire body.

The soft sound of lips parting, eager to rejoin, was the only thing to be heard in the darkening room and by the time they pulled away, the sun had set, leaving the room in a blue tinted dusk. "I can't see your face anymore," Natalia said, smiling, breaking the passion filled tension. She heard Olivia laugh softly and reluctantly pulled away from the warmth of her body to turn on the bedside lamp. "I brought food," she said as she stood.

Olivia smiled as Natalia held out a hand to her and took it gladly. They moved over to the sofa where the young woman began unpacking the bags she brought with her. "Whatcha got in there?" Olivia asked happily. The smell was heavenly. "I couldn't tell you the last time Emma and I had a home cooked meal."

"Where is Emma?" Natalia asked as she watched Olivia open the container that held roasted vegetables.

"She's at a sleepover. I swear she's made ten new friends since being at summer camp," Olivia said before taking a bite sized potato into her mouth. She practically hummed at the buttery goodness of it.

"Why were you sleeping so early? Everything is okay with your health isn't it?" Natalia asked worriedly, placing a hand on Olivia's arm.

Olivia smiled, finding comfort in Natalia's fuss over her. "I'm okay. I promise. It's just been a busy time at work and I was tired," she explained. Naps had become a pretty regular part of her life since the heart transplant. As good as she felt, she still had to pace herself.

"I want you and Emma to come back home," the young woman said suddenly, food forgotten on the coffee table. "There's no reason the two of you shouldn't be there with me."

"Natalia…are you sure?" Olivia asked, uncertain. She wanted that more than anything and as ready as she was to move on with their relationship, she still needed to think about Emma. Her little girl needed some permanence in her life and if they were to move into the farmhouse only to have to move out again, she knew it would break her daughter's heart, not to mention her own.

"I'm sure. I admit that I wasn't always, but I'm not willing to live without the two of you. I've been waiting so long for everyone else to be okay that I almost lost you," she said, her eyes becoming watery again. "I want you with me."

Olivia was amazed at the changes she was seeing in the young woman. "Okay," she whispered softly, "but we have to tell Emma about us first."

Natalia nodded and placed a hand against Olivia's face. She couldn't contain her smile as she thought of them finally moving on as a family. It seemed as if their lives had been on hold for the past several months. "When will she be home?" she asked, once again rifling through the food containers. She stabbed at a piece of chicken with one of the plastic forks she packed.

"Tomorrow at noon," Olivia said, eating more vegetables.

"Maybe we could have lunch in the park and tell her then," Natalia suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Olivia smiled.

Natalia watched from the corner of her eye as the smile slowly faded away from Olivia's face. They both ate quietly for a moment and she seemed to become lost in thought, worried even. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked. "Are you worried about Emma?"

Olivia shook her head and gave a light smile. "No, I think Emma will be fine with everything, actually. She's bound to have questions, but she's been our biggest fan really. I just…I just want it to really happen this time, you know?" she said. "It seems like something always stops this…us…from happening."

"It will," Natalia said, trying to reassure her. She was well aware that they had been on the verge of telling Emma and the whole town right before she left and she still felt so guilty. "I know that you've heard that from me before, but I promise I'm not going anywhere this time."

"I know," Olivia said, smiling at her. A part of her was still scared, terrified even, but she knew the relationship would suffer if she didn't show some faith in Natalia. They had both been through so many life changes in a short amount of time and she was sure that the love they felt for one another was worth fighting for. "I love you," she told Natalia.

"I love you, too," the young woman returned immediately, "more than anything." She closed her eyes and sighed happily when Olivia leaned in to kiss her softly; foreheads pressed together, noses rubbing affectionately. Being so close to Olivia always made her feel special and warm and she vowed to cherish it forever.

~~~

A couple of hours later, the two women sat closely together on the sofa talking about any and everything. Olivia caught Natalia up on things that happened while she was at the retreat and Natalia told Olivia more about her time there.

"I have a doctor's appointment in a couple of weeks…will you come with me?" Natalia asked timidly.

"Of course, I will," Olivia responded, "but what about Frank?" she asked. Now it was her turn to be a little timid. She was still somewhat uncertain about the role he would play during Natalia's pregnancy.

"I'm glad that Frank wants to be a good father, but this isn't exactly a traditional situation," Natalia explained. "You're the person in my life, the person I love, and I want you to be with me during these things."

Olivia only smiled and kissed her forehead before snuggling closer.

"I guess I should be getting home now," Natalia said a few minutes later, glancing at the clock on the nightstand.

Reluctantly untangling herself from the other woman, Olivia stood and turned to offer Natalia a hand. "I guess so." She really didn't want her to. It was on the tip of her tongue to suggest Natalia stay the night, but she didn't want to push things.

"I really don't want to leave you though." Natalia stood and pulled Olivia into yet another hug. She never wanted to let her go.

What the hell, Olivia thought, throwing caution to the wind. "You could just stay here for tonight," she suggested as she pulled back to look Natalia in the face, stroking her long, dark hair. "It's getting late and there's really no reason why you shouldn't. We can get up tomorrow morning and drive back to the farmhouse and then we can go and get Emma and have lunch while we talk," she said.

Natalia smiled brightly. "Okay," she agreed happily. She knew that if Rafe needed her for anything important, he would call her cell phone.

Olivia returned her smiled. "I'll get you something to sleep in."

~~~

A short while later the two women were happily snuggled in Olivia's bed together, Natalia dressed in the largest t-shirt Olivia could find. Surprisingly, there was no awkwardness or nervousness, just the excitement of finally being together, knowing that they were going to move forward despite the hardships they were still sure to face.

Natalia lay on her side and snuggled further back against Olivia, who had an arm draped over her waist, her hand softly, lovingly rubbing the swell of her belly. She was so glad she had decided to stay with Olivia. As much as she loved the farmhouse, the thought of going back to the big, empty home alone depressed her. The house didn't have the same appeal without Olivia and Emma. "I'm almost too excited to sleep," she said.

"I know what you mean," came Olivia's voice close to her ear.

"We've got so much to do now. We'll have to call the movers. I have to get the house ready for you and Emma," Natalia said happily, a thousand thoughts running through her mind.

"Whoa there, Nellie, slow down," Olivia joked as she gave Natalia a light squeeze. "We do have lots to do, but I want you to promise that you'll take it easy. You are pregnant, after all."

"I know, I know," Natalia said as she turned to lie on her back. "I just feel like I've been…suspended in time or something," she shrugged. She looked over to Olivia and grinned. "I'm so happy."

Olivia couldn't resist and she leaned over to place a kiss on Natalia's smiling lips. They were so soft and she couldn't help the tiny moan that escaped her as Natalia kissed her back. She felt the smooth brush of the younger woman's tongue against her mouth and parted her lips to feel the sensation inside.

The kiss continued as tongues caressed deeply, over and over, and Natalia moaned softly into Olivia's mouth. She was nearly lightheaded at the things her body was feeling and she knew she would always want this, Olivia's kisses, Olivia's touch. She protested as she started to feel the other woman moving away, but she held her captive for one last kiss. "I wasn't finished," she complained.

Olivia laughed and lay back down against her own pillow. "Neither was I, but I think we should probably get some sleep now," she suggested.

Natalia sighed contentedly and turned to face the other woman. "I love you," she told her.

"Love you, too," Olivia said. After one last soft kiss, the two women finally fell asleep.

~~~

"You nervous?"

"Oh, yeah."

"You shouldn't be. She is the one who dubbed you her other mommy, after all. Now, we're just making it official." Olivia smiled as she maneuvered the car through the streets on the way to pick up Emma. They had gotten up early that morning as planned and stopped by the farmhouse. Natalia had gone upstairs to freshen up and Olivia took it upon herself to cook breakfast, surprising Natalia when she came back down. Next, they busied themselves with making a picnic lunch for Emma, before it was finally time to go and pick her up.

"I think I'm expecting the worst because of how Rafe reacted," Natalia explained as she looked out the window, "but they are two very different children, so I should actually expect the best from Emma."

"She loves you as much as you love her," Olivia said, taking the other woman's hand to reassure her. "I can't imagine her not being excited about it, especially, if it means moving back into the farmhouse."

"I hope you're right," Natalia said.

~~~

"Why aren't you nervous?" Natalia asked as they walked through the park to one of the empty picnic tables. It was another beautiful day and Emma had run ahead of them as soon as they got out of the car.

"I am," Olivia admitted, "but we have to tell her no matter what."

Natalia simply nodded as they arrived at the table and immediately busied herself with setting out their meal.

"Hey, Jellybean, how was your sleepover?" Olivia asked while she helped Natalia.

"It was so fun! Jodie's mom made cheeseburgers for dinner and we had ice cream for dessert," the little girl smiled. "Then we played video games all night."

"All night? Jodie's mom didn't make you guys go to bed?" Natalia asked.

"Well…she did, but we snuck and played some more when she left the room," Emma confessed.

Olivia chuckled at her daughter's antics. "Well, I'm glad you had fun."

"Natalia, can mommy and I come over tonight?" Emma asked before taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Well…" Natalia began, glancing at Olivia.

"Baby, Natalia and I want to talk to you about something okay?" Olivia said.

Emma nodded and continued eating.

"You know that Natalia and I are best friends, right?" A nod. "Well, we were talking and Natalia wants us to move into the farmhouse again so we can all be a family…you, me, Natalia, and maybe Rafe," Olivia said.

"We're moving back to the farmhouse?" Emma said, her eyes lighting up.

"That's what I want, sweetheart," Natalia said. "You know I love you and your mommy, so much. Would you like that?"

"Uh huh!" Emma nodded, barely able to contain her excitement.

"I want that, too, baby, but things might be a little different if we move back," Olivia said.

"Different how?" Emma asked.

Here goes, Olivia thought, before glancing at Natalia. "Well, Natalia and I love each other a lot and we want be together all the time," she began. "You remember when Bill and I lived together?" she asked, trying a different approach. Emma nodded. "The love that Natalia and I have for each other is the same type of love that Bill and I had." She and Natalia both held their breath as they waited for the little girl to understand.

"But Bill is a boy."

"That's right and sometimes two women can love each other just like a man and a woman might love each other."

"You mean you want to kiss each other?" Emma asked, a look of disgust on her face.

"Would it bother you if I kissed Natalia?" Olivia asked, watching her reaction closely.

"Well…kissing is gross, but I guess it's okay," she shrugged.

Olivia smiled at her daughter's answer. "It makes us happy, Jellybean."

"And you know what else makes us happy, Emma?" Natalia asked. "You." It got the intended result and the little girl smiled brightly. "I love you, just as if you were my very own daughter," she said.

"I love you, too, Natalia," Emma smiled.

The three finished their picnic happily and Natalia and Olivia watched as Emma ran off to play on the jungle gym.

"We still have to tell her about the baby," Natalia said as they cleaned up their mess.

"I know. I figured we could tell her tonight at the house, maybe give her a little time to digest what we just told her first," Olivia said.

"You're coming to the house tonight?" Natalia asked.

Olivia stopped what she was doing and looked at the woman a bit uncertainly. "Yeah…um…I thought you wanted…"

"I do, I do. I just thought you were going to wait until we called the movers, but this is even better," Natalia smiled.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. "I figured we'd stop by the hotel and do a little packing and then Em and I could get an overnight bag together and go home with you."

"Sounds wonderful," Natalia said. Olivia grabbed the picnic basket and then her hand and they made their way over to collect their daughter.

~~~

That night, Olivia made her way down the stairs after tucking Emma in to find Natalia resting on the couch. She joined her with a tired sigh and rested her head against the younger woman's shoulder.

"How is she?" Natalia asked as she moved to wrap her arm around Olivia.

"She's great," Olivia said. "How did I get lucky enough to have the best little girl in the world?" Natalia had tucked Emma in first after she and Olivia decided that she would tell her about the baby. Emma was simply excited about having a new brother or sister. Olivia had come to say goodnight next and answer any questions her daughter had about the whole situation. The little girl asked Olivia if she thought Natalia would let her touch her stomach and she also wondered who the daddy was. Deciding that honestly was the best policy, Olivia told her the truth, praying for the words to make a situation that was very complicated uncomplicated to her eight year old daughter.

"So she's okay with everything?"

"Better than okay," Olivia said. "She's back to living at her favorite place in the whole world. She's going to have a new baby brother or sister to boss around and she's got her two mommies. She's downright giddy."

Natalia chuckled and squeezed Olivia closer. "See how much better everything is when we're all together? I wish you guys had never moved out in the first place."

"Me, either," Olivia said, "but we're here now and you'll never be able to get rid of us again." She lifted her head from Natalia's shoulder and smiled.

"I wouldn't dream of getting rid of my favorite girls," Natalia said softly as she slowly closed the distance between them. Simply kissing someone had never meant so much to her as it did when she kissed Olivia. Her lips were velvety smooth as they gently nibbled hers and she felt as though she could never get enough of it. She surprised herself at how comfortable she was with showing Olivia affection. Before she had been scared simply because kissing or touching a woman was something she had never experienced before, something she had never even imagined. But touching Olivia was both a need and a want and she was amazed at how unafraid she was to initiate a kiss or a caress and the feelings only grew as they did it more and more.

Olivia slowly pulled away from the delicious taste of Natalia, but not before stealing a few more pecks. "I'll never get tired of that," she said with a relaxed smile.

"Then come back over here," the younger woman said playfully.

Olivia was more than enjoying the light-heartedness from Natalia. As well as they already knew each other, this was an entirely knew facet of their relationship and it was another side of the younger woman that she was very glad to get to know. Not being able to resist, she leaned in to steal a few more sweet kisses before forcing herself away once again.

"Olivia," Natalia protested. Her face was slightly flushed and her breathing deep.

"Believe me, we will have plenty more of that, but for now, I think we should go to bed," Olivia said as she stood from the couch.

Natalia sighed and stood with a hand from Olivia. She was pretty tired. Although things had worked out wonderfully with Emma, it had still been an emotional day. After coming back from the hotel, where they had packed up quite a few boxes, the threesome came home and she cooked dinner while Olivia and Emma unpacked some of their things upstairs. It had been a long time since she was last pregnant and she had almost forgotten how tiring a simple task like cooking dinner could be.

"You head upstairs and I'll just lock up down here," Olivia said.

Natalia gave her a hug before making her way upstairs. "Okay," she said. "Hurry though." Once in her bedroom, she slipped the summer dress she had been wearing over her head and changed into an oversized t-shirt. Walking over to her dresser, she smiled at the site of Olivia's hairbrush sitting there and a few other personal items. It was such a simple thing, but it said so much.

Making her way down the hall, she smiled as she passed Emma's door and when she got to the bathroom she almost cried at the sight of their toothbrushes in the cup next to hers. They were finally together as a family.


	5. Chapter 5

The small family had quickly fallen into a routine over the next week. All of Olivia and Emma's things had been moved back into the house and Natalia was delighted when she looked around and noticed their things intermingled with hers once. She was even happy to have Olivia's eccentric art from San Cristobal adorning the walls again.

While Olivia was at work, Natalia and Emma would spend the day together or she would ensure that the little girl made it to whatever play-date or family gathering she was to be at. She had been spending lots of time with Phillip lately and Natalia was so happy that their relationship was a healthy one.

Emma was a very busy child and more often than not she had plans, so when Natalia was home by herself, the day was spent cooking and relaxing as she had promised Olivia she would do. Truthfully, she was feeling restless. She had worked her entire life, had even dubbed herself a workaholic, and now she was bored without something to do everyday and found herself waiting impatiently for Olivia and Emma to get home every night. There was only so much she could do in the yard in her pregnant state, but the flowerbeds were weeded and watered, the porches and walkways were swept, and the ducks probably had more stale bread and crackers than they could ever dream of. She had even sat out some milk behind the barn for a few stray cats. Natalia was officially bored.

~~~

A while later, she found herself upstairs, reorganizing the closets and dressers so that her and Olivia's clothes would fit together better. Olivia had quite the wardrobe, quite the expensive wardrobe, and half of her clothes were being stored in her old bedroom. Whereas the bottom of Natalia's closet had only been filled with a few pairs of shoes before, it was now completely full of every designer high heel, kitten heel, boot, mule, slingback, and tennis shoe she could think of.

Next, she was on to Emma's bedroom. The little girl had almost as many clothes and shoes as her mother and Natalia busied herself with folding and straightening as she listened to the small pink radio that sat on Emma's dresser. She hummed along to the song playing as she organized the dresses in the closet, but stopped when she heard the slam of a car door through the open window. Abandoning her task for the moment, she turned the radio off and headed downstairs to see who it was.

Unlocking the screen door, she saw that the visitor was none other than Doris Wolfe. She was dressed nicely in a light gray skirt suit.

"Hello, Doris. What brings you by?" she asked. Natalia had always been weary of Doris ever since the issue concerning Emma's school project last winter.

"I was looking for Olivia, actually," Doris said. "I went by her office, but she wasn't there and then I went by her room, but I was informed that she had moved out. Naturally, I assumed she must have moved back in with you." Doris had no way of knowing that actually. Olivia could have moved out of the country for all she knew, especially based on the way she had been feeling the other day, but she decided to try the farmhouse on the off chance that Olivia had taken her advice about forgiving the beautiful woman standing before her.

"She did move back in, but she's not here right now. Would you like something to drink?" Natalia asked. She wasn't actually interested in spending any time with Doris, but she didn't want to be rude either.

"Sure," Doris smiled. She looked around as Natalia led her into the kitchen and she still couldn't fathom why Olivia would want to live on a farm. It was a little too homey for her tastes. As she took a seat at the table, she wondered if Natalia was really aware of all of the things Olivia had been through while she was gone. "It's nice to see that Olivia has forgiven you for leaving," the mayor said as she accepted a glass of lemonade from the young woman, "especially after everything she went through."

Natalia watched Doris carefully, wondering what game she was up to now. Olivia had told her much of what had happened in Springfield while she was away. She hadn't really spoken to anyone else other than Frank and Rafe since arriving back in town and they hadn't informed her of anything unusual. "What do you mean?" she asked, deciding to take the bait.

"Well, it was quite pitiful really. She filed a missing person's report the day after you left and then she actually went looking for you when she found out from Father Ray that you had gone away to the retreat. That was harsh by the way, having the Father inform your girlfriend that you were leaving and didn't want to be found," Doris said, shaking her head before taking a sip of her lemonade.

"She didn't tell me any of this," Natalia said softly, shocked.

"Oh, that's not even half of it," Doris chuckled. "She nearly cussed out a Mother Superior looking for you at the convent." She knew she was making Natalia feel bad, but she thought it was only fair that the woman knew the kind of pain she put Olivia through and she knew Olivia probably wouldn't enlighten her with the details.

"She had to go to Bill and Lizzie's wedding all by herself and then at Jeffrey's memorial…"

"What?!"

"Surely she told you about Jeffrey?" Doris said as she sat her glass down. Suddenly, she wasn't enjoying her little rundown of what Olivia had gone through any longer and swallowed at the look of horror in Natalia's eyes. "I'm sorry…I thought she would have at least told you something as important as that."

"Jeffrey's dead?" Natalia said disbelievingly. "How? When?" she asked Doris. She listened as the mayor recounted the story of Jeffrey's plane wreck and the body they had found. The father of Olivia's child, her dear friend, was dead and she hadn't been there to comfort her.

Doris watched as Natalia wiped the tears from her eyes. "Listen, I didn't mean to upset you like this…" she began.

"Of course you did, Doris, or you wouldn't have come over here at all," Natalia said harshly, not believing Doris to be sincere for one moment.

"Listen, I only told you all of those things because I thought you should know what Olivia has gone through," Doris explained. "There's not a doubt in my mind that she loves you more than anything and I just though you needed to realize that and make the most of the second chance she's given you."

"Just…please go, Doris."

The mayor watched as Natalia sat at the table with her face buried in her hands. She grabbed her purse and quietly headed for the door. She had a feeling that she was going to be hearing from a very pissed off hotel owner in the near future.

~~~

Olivia slowly drove her car up the long driveway to the farmhouse and parked next to Natalia's car. It was such a nice feeling, driving off to a real home for the rest of the night as opposed to taking the elevator from her office up to her suite.

She noticed the flowerbeds looked especially lovely as she passed them and entered the house happily. "Natalia?" she called as she sat her black leather briefcase down on the kitchen table and hung up her keys on the designated hook. Going over to the stove, she peaked underneath the lid of a skillet and breathed in the delicious scent of homemade stir fry, still hot. Hearing descending footsteps on the stairs, she put the lid back quickly and made her way into the living room. "Hi," she said as she immediately went to greet the younger woman. She took her time, giving her a long, deep, thorough kiss, enjoying the feel of Natalia's arms holding her tightly. Apparently, she had been missed, too. The after-work-kiss had quickly become one of her favorite things. All day she had thought about the gorgeous woman and it made her miss the days when they worked together. Finally pulling back from the embrace, she looked into big brown eyes to see that they were on the verge of tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Olivia asked, immediately becoming concerned. She placed a hand to her face and lightly stroked her cheek with her thumb. "Is everything okay? Is the baby okay?"

"The baby is fine," Natalia sniffed. She grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her down onto the couch with her. "Why didn't you tell me about Jeffrey?"

Olivia released a heavy sigh. "I was going to," she said.

"When?" Natalia asked, clearly distraught. "You should have told me. I wasn't even here for you when you really needed me," she cried.

"Natalia," Olivia said as she pulled the woman into her arms, "please calm down. I don't want you to feel guilty about this. You had no way of knowing that was going to happen, none of us did," she explained. She found her own eyes watering at the thought of her friend and the emotional day it had been at his memorial.

"But I should have been there to support you…and Ava, oh god, how is Ava?" she asked, pulling out of Olivia's hug.

"She's okay," Olivia reassured. "It was hard losing her father after only knowing him for such a short time, but she's strong."

"Just like you," Natalia said with a watery smile. She pulled Olivia close and kissed her lips. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey," Olivia admonished gently, "I meant what I said about apologizing. We can't go back and change anything that's happened and I don't want us to start our life together with a bunch of guilt hanging between us," she said.

Natalia nodded, though she still felt bad for not being there. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Olivia said. She stroked Natalia's hair softly as they sat together. "Who told you about Jeffrey?" she asked. His death hadn't been reported on the news or in the papers for a while now.

"Doris," Natalia said.

"When did you see Doris?"

"She came over here looking for you…that's not all she told me either."

Olivia closed her eyes in annoyance at Doris's big mouth. "She talks too much."

"Well, I'm glad she said something," Natalia said as she sat up fully. "She made me realize a lot of things."

"I'm sure she did," Olivia said as she stood from the couch and headed to the kitchen. She really didn't want to rehash her lonely days without Natalia. A part of her still felt pathetic about the way she had acted. Never in her life had her happiness been so dependant upon another person.

Natalia trailed behind her and immediately got out plates and forks for dinner. "Were you ever going to tell me?" she asked as she dished a colorful medley of vegetables and seasoned meat onto a bed of rice. Emma was having dinner with her father.

"Of course, I would have. I just didn't want to upset you and you don't need to be stressed out with the baby and all," Olivia said as she poured them each a glass of water. "There is some good news to come from all of this, though," she said.

"Well, I could really use some," Natalia said as they sat next to each other at the table.

"I told Ava that we fell in love," Olivia said, smiling brightly. "She's really happy for us."

"She is?" Natalia said relieved. "I'm so glad. It's seems like she and Emma are the only ones besides us. How did you get such wonderful daughters?" She smiled as Olivia shrugged happily and took a bite of her food.

~~~

"Is Emma sleeping?" Natalia asked from her laying position in bed.

"Yup," Olivia said as she entered the room and closed the door. She slipped her robe off, turned out the lights and joined Natalia in bed. She immediately snuggled against her—it had become their routine—and rested her hand on her protruding, t-shirt covered belly. "Looks like someone needs to go maternity shopping." Olivia smiled as she felt the tautness of the fabric beneath her hand.

"Mm," Natalia moaned sleepily. She did need new clothes and it was just another thing she was going to have to work into her budget somehow.

"I was looking online for baby furniture today," Olivia said.

"You were?" Natalia asked, suddenly more awake as she turned to face her.

"Yeah, I saw this great set that would look really cute in the nursery," she smiled.

Natalia looked at her adoringly, touched that she had been thinking of the baby.

"I was thinking I could get off work early tomorrow and you, Emma and I could go shopping. We could get some things for you and the baby," she suggested.

"Well, that sounds great, but I have to be careful. I'm on a budget you know," she said, keeping her voice light. She really didn't want Olivia to know that she was having money issues.

"Isn't Blake paying you enough?" Olivia joked. She became suspicious as Natalia remained quiet.

"Actually, Blake had to hire someone else to replace me," she confessed, eyes downcast. "I've been looking for a job, but no luck yet."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Olivia asked softly though she already knew the answer. Natalia was a very proud woman and she didn't like depending on anyone for anything.

Natalia shrugged. "I figured something would come along eventually."

"You know," Olivia said cautiously, "you don't have to work at all."

"Olivia," Natalia whined as she buried her face into the pillow. "You know it's hard for me to accept help like this."

"It's not help," Olivia explained. "We're together now. We're a real family and that means what's mine is yours." It was far from charity and if she had the means to take care of her family then she didn't see anything wrong with that.

"Okay," Natalia sighed. "I'll agree with you if you promise me one thing."

"Okay…"

"Promise that I can come back to work with you at the Beacon."

"You want to come back to work at the Beacon?" Olivia asked surprised. "What about proving to everyone that we aren't together just because of our circumstances?"

"Well, I've been thinking about it and I don't think we have anything to prove to anyone. We know how we feel about each other and our children know. That's all that matters," Natalia said. "I want to feel like I'm doing something to contribute and besides, I like working with you."

"We do make a great team," Olivia smiled. "But you have to promise me something, too?"

"What?"

"You have to promise you'll tell me if you get too tired and that you'll take it easy," she said.

"Okay, I promise," Natalia said happily. "Now gimme kiss."

Olivia gladly complied, pressing her lips firmly against the puckered ones in front of her.

~~~

Early the next morning, Olivia came downstairs dressed fashionably, as usual. Emma was still sleeping. Entering the kitchen, she saw Natalia standing at the coffee pot with a cup already waiting for her.

"You look great," she complimented as she gave Olivia a once over. She was wearing a maroon colored wrap dress that hung down to just above her knees.

"So do you," Olivia smiled as she took a sip of her coffee, admiring the other woman's light purple sundress.

"This old thing? I could barely get into it," Natalia said as she ran her hand over the stretched material at her stomach.

"Well, we'll just have to fix that," Olivia said, referring to their shopping trip later on. "Are you going to be home all day?"

"Actually, Frank called while you were in the shower. He wants me to meet him at Company. I was thinking I could take Emma with me and see what he wants," she explained.

"Is everything alright?" Olivia asked as she stepped closer. Frank was the type of man who would want to do right by Natalia and she knew that if he thought he still had a chance with her, he would take it. For the moment, she decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

"I think so. He says he just wants to talk about a few things."

"Well, okay. Be careful and call me if you need anything," Olivia told her.

"I will. I'll call you anyway." Natalia smiled sweetly and leaned in for a goodbye kiss before walking her to the door.

~~~

Company was very busy with the lunch crowd by the time Natalia and Emma arrived. As they scooched into a booth, Natalia looked around and spotted Buzz at the counter waiting on customers. Lynn had her hands full of serving trays and Daisy was nowhere to be seen.

"What do you want for lunch, sweetheart?" Natalia asked Emma as she flipped open a menu.

"Ice cream!" she said happily.

Natalia laughed. "How about you have a cheeseburger and then maybe some ice cream?"

"Okay," Emma easily agreed. She had to at least try and see if she could get ice cream for lunch.

"Ladies, I'll be with you in just a second," Buzz said loudly as he breezed by their table.

"Natalia, I told daddy that I was going to have a new brother or sister," Emma said happily.

"You did?" she asked. Phillip had been happy for them when Olivia told him they were going to the barbeque, but she still felt a little nervous. "What did he say?"

"He said he was happy for me and that I was gonna be a great big sister," the little girl smiled.

"You will," Natalia said, giving her a small squeeze. "Was Grandpa Alan around when you told him?"

"No, dad said he was in a meeting or something."

Natalia breathed a sigh of relief. She knew the elder Spaulding was due to find out about her and Olivia eventually, but a battle with him over what was best for his granddaughter was the last thing they needed to deal with.

"Sweetie, why don't you go wash your hands okay?" She watched as Emma ran off.

Just then, Buzz came over with a big, knowing smile on his face and joined her in the booth. "Frank told me about the baby. I can't believe I'm gonna be a grandpa again," he said.

Natalia had a small smile of her own, but it was hesitant. She didn't expect Buzz to be so happy about the news considering the circumstances surrounding it.

"Listen," he began, "I know things got crazy with you and Frank and the wedding, but maybe you two could work it out, ya know? Frank still loves you and he's so happy about the baby…"

Natalia listened as Buzz continued on, oblivious to her shock. It made her sad to think that he still thought there was a chance for her and Frank. "Where is Frank? He asked me to meet him here," she said.

"Oh, he called. He got hung up at work," Buzz said as he stood up from the booth. "He said he'd call you and reschedule."

Emma came back from the restroom then and he took their orders. She wanted to tell him that there was no chance of her and Frank happening and she wanted to tell him about her and Olivia so he could let go of the idea altogether, but it was hardly the proper setting to do so with the restaurant being so busy and Emma listening in.

Their lunches came promptly and she and Emma ate quickly before leaving to meet Olivia.

~~~

Natalia absently looked through the racks at the clothing boutique as she thought about Buzz's overly excited behavior at Company. It also made her more suspicious of what Frank wanted to see her about.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked as she walked up next to her. "You don't see anything you like?"

"I see plenty that I like, but this stuff is way too expensive," Natalia said as she held up a pretty red blouse. She had expected a quick trip to some department store at the mall, but Olivia had taken her to a small shop that specialized in maternity wear.

Olivia sighed. "I thought we talked about this…"

"I know, I know. What's yours is mine," Natalia repeated as she continued rifling through the clothes.

"Good," Olivia smiled. "Now have a look at these," she said as she handed the young woman several different items of clothing.

Natalia had to admit that they had some beautiful things to offer, things she would have never thought of buying for herself. "You're spoiling me," she said as she held several dresses up against her front.

Olivia only shrugged and Natalia rolled her eyes as the beautiful woman sauntered away to join Emma who had been sitting in a chair looking bored for the last fifteen minutes.

~~~

Three hours and countless shopping bags later the three women were finally back at the farmhouse. The early evening sun shined brightly through the windows and Natalia wasted no time in opening them to allow the warm breeze in.

"What do you guys want for dinner?" she asked as she looked at mother and daughter lounging lazily on the couch.

"You don't have to cook," Olivia said. "If we're tired then I know you must be. We'll just order something."

"Olivia, no," Natalia said stubbornly, her hands on her hips. "Look at all this money we just spent." She waved a hand over the sea of shopping bags. "We don't need to spend anymore on takeout when we have a kitchen full of groceries."

Olivia looked at her for a moment before standing up. "Fine. You and Emma can go through all of this stuff and I'll cook dinner." She smiled as she passed her and headed into the kitchen.

~~~

Dinner was ready an hour later and a delicious meal of fettuccine alfredo with shrimp was quickly being scarfed down.

"You're a good cook, mommy," Emma complimented as she sucked a strand of pasta into her mouth.

"Thank you, Jellybean."

"Yeah, I think you should cook more often," Natalia commented. She laughed when Olivia poked her tongue out.

"I don't mind cooking. You just always seemed to enjoy doing it, so I never bothered," she explained.

"I do enjoy it," Natalia smiled. "There's just a warm feeling from knowing that you cooked your family a nice meal."

"I think we should all cook dinner," Emma said.

Olivia smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

~~~

A short while later, Emma was outside playing, while Natalia and Olivia cleaned the dinner dishes and kept an eye on their daughter from the kitchen window.

"I think we should have a dishwasher installed," Olivia commented as she dropped a soapy plate into the clear water on the other side of the sink.

"I told you I would wash," Natalia said as she reached into the water for the now rinsed plate and dried it.

"I think we should get one anyway. Pretty soon you're going to be way too tired to have to worry about doing dishes and they aren't on my list of priorities when I come home from work," she said, "and before long the baby will be here."

"You're right," Natalia said. She remembered how busy she was when Rafe was born. Luckily, she had some help from her abuela, but she was still so tired at the end of the day.

"Really?" Olivia asked, looking at her surprised. She was sure she would get a speech about spending money unnecessarily when they were perfectly capable of doing the dishes by hand.

Natalia smiled and bumped her with her hip. "Yes, really. We'll have our hands full when the baby comes."

"So, what did Frank want?" Olivia asked, changing the subject.

Natalia sighed. "Actually, he never showed. He got caught up at work, and Buzz knows about the baby. He was actually…excited."

"He was?" Olivia finished the last of the dishes and dried her hand on a towel.

"Yeah, I thought it was strange, too." Natalia looked at Olivia who seemed lost in thought. "He seems to think that there's hope for me and Frank," she said.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "And who do you think gave him that idea?"

"I know," Natalia sighed.

Olivia sighed, too. When Natalia was away, she'd had to endure plenty of snide remarks from Frank, making her feel as if it was her fault Natalia left. It wouldn't surprise her at all if he used the fact that Natalia was pregnant to try and win her back. She could imagine him righteously thinking that he would be saving Natalia from her evil clutches. "He wants you back."

"Well he can't have me back and I was never really his anyway." Natalia pulled Olivia into a hug and relished the feel of her. "There's no place on this earth I'd rather be than here with you and Emma," she said softly.


	6. Chapter 6

Evening soon faded into night and Natalia sat in bed reading while Olivia was in the shower. Emma had fallen right to sleep, exhausted after a full day of shopping and excursions around the expansive farmyard. She really thought it was something special that Emma still actually enjoyed going outside to play. These days kids were so dominated by technology; video games, cell phones and iPods. It wasn't that Emma didn't enjoy those things also, but they didn't rule her life either. She could still appreciate a good day of backyard play. It made Natalia happy to know that the new baby would be able to experience was it was like to live on a farm, too.

A few minutes later, Olivia came through the bedroom doorway wearing her silky black robe, seemingly breathless from her shower, her hair still wet. Natalia watched over the rim of her book as she grabbed a bottle of lotion from the dresser and propped one leg up on the bed, slowly rubbing the creamy substance into a smooth thigh before moving down to her calf and finally her manicured foot. Natalia swallowed hard as she moved on to the other leg.

"So, what are we going to name the baby?" Olivia asked as she placed the lotion back on the dresser and sat down on her side of the bed, legs crossed.

Natalia simply looked at her. She seemed to have no idea how truly stunning she was and it made her even more so. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on the question she had just been asked instead of the lips that asked it. "I'm not sure yet. I have a couple of names in mind, but I haven't narrowed it down."

Olivia gave a small smile and looked away as she rubbed the excess lotion into her hands. "You probably want Frank's opinion on that."

"I want your opinion, too." Natalia said as she reached over to take her hand, intertwining their fingers and placing a kiss on the back of it. She felt a little guilty that she wanted Olivia's opinion, even more than she wanted Frank's, where the baby was concerned. Frank hadn't asked for the situation any more than she did and he deserved to be a father to his child. She wanted that for her child, but a part of her had to admit that she would be perfectly happy if it were just her and Olivia as the baby's parents. She sighed as the weight of the situation came down on her once again.

"Hey," Olivia said as she placed a finger under her chin, "what are you thinking about?"

"Just…everything. I can't believe that I'm going to have a baby with a man I don't even love. How did I let this happen?"

"Natalia, you can't beat yourself up about it. The situation is what it is, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing." She placed a hand on Natalia's stomach and smiled. "Our baby will have plenty of love from you, me and Frank." Olivia would be the first to admit that she didn't want Frank so involved in their lives, but there was nothing she could do about it and he would just have to live with the fact that Natalia chose to be with her.

"You're right," Natalia said with a cute smile. "Our baby will be loved and happy and I can't wait until he or she gets here."

Olivia returned her smile and leaned in for a slow kiss. She'd never get tired of kissing Natalia. She sighed happily as the kiss deepened and savored the feel of Natalia's tongue brushing past her lips to slide against her own. She then felt a smooth hand running along the exposed skin of her leg and she pulled the younger woman closer.

"You're so beautiful," Natalia said between kisses and moaned softly as Olivia's lips trailed down to her neck.

"So are you." She brushed her tongue against the soft skin and her body tingled with pleasure as she felt the vibration of Natalia's moan. Moving back to her mouth, Olivia captured a full bottom lip between her own before delving her tongue inside once again.

A loud knock sounded from downstairs and lips came apart with smack. "Who in the hell could that be at…" Olivia looked past Natalia to the clock on the nightstand, "10:30 at night?"

"I don't know." Both women moved to stand and Natalia quickly put on the matching robe to the new maternity sleep gown she wore.

"I'll go see who it is," Olivia said.

"Wait…your robe." Natalia moved to fix Olivia's robe, which had come undone a little, exposing a good amount of her upper chest even though she had on a sleep camisole underneath.

Olivia grinned before turning to go downstairs to see who had interrupted them at such a rude hour.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she grumbled before peaking through the front window, immediately rolling her eyes at the sight of Frank Cooper.

"Who is it?" Natalia asked after turning on the lamp that sat on the end table.

Olivia unlocked the front door. "Frank," she said quietly before pulling the door open. He was standing inside the screen door with his head down slightly. He had a smile on his face as he began to look up, but it quickly faded.

"Olivia, what are you doing here?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"I could ask you the same thing, Frankie." She leaned against the open door and crossed her arms as Natalia came to stand closer to her.

"Frank, what are you doing here?" the younger woman asked.

Frank took in the two women before him, confused at Olivia's presence. From what he'd picked up on after his conversation with Rafe and then his conversation with Natalia a few weeks ago, she was the last person he expected to see at the farmhouse. He knew Natalia said she left town because she was confused about the baby, but he knew there had to be more to it, something Olivia had done to push her away.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Of course," Natalia said as she stepped aside to allow him in. She placed a hand on his arm suddenly, stopping his progress. "Is Rafe alright?" she asked, squeezing his arm.

Olivia watched as Frank placed a hand on top of hers and gave her a kind smile. "Rafe is alright. I promise," he said.

Natalia gave a sigh of relief and removed her hand.

"So, what brings you by at this lovely hour, Frank?" Olivia said as she took a seat on the couch, pleasantly surprised when Natalia took a seat right next to her, thighs touching. She placed her arm along the back of the couch, even more thrilled when Natalia shifted closer to her. Showing affection was one thing when they were in private, but she hadn't expected Natalia to be so comfortable with it in front of someone else, especially not Frank.

"Actually, my shift just ended," he said, eyeing Olivia warily. "I didn't mean to bother you so late, but I wanted to come by and make sure you were okay," he said, his expression softening as he focused on Natalia.

"I'm fine, really," she said, smiling politely.

Frank had actually wanted to talk to her alone, but he had an idea that he would have a hard time getting rid of Olivia. "That's good to hear. I just want to be here for you and our baby," he said, glancing pointedly at Olivia.

"I appreciate that, Frank, but Olivia's been here for me if I want anything," she said. Natalia felt like she had to let Frank know that Olivia was her plus one, not him, and if she needed anything, Olivia would be the first person she asked.

Frank watched with internal horror as her hand drifted down to settle against Olivia's bare thigh where her robe had slipped away, her thumb caressing the skin softly. There was no mistaking the intimacy of it and he stared at the site as if hypnotized. Their relationship didn't seem to be as far gone as he'd thought, if the personal gesture was any indication. Of course he knew about their relationship, but he had never witnessed any affection between the two other than a hug. His gaze finally drifted up to Olivia's who was staring at him as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Olivia watched silently as Frank's jaw clenched, the look in his eyes uncomfortable. He'd told her once that it didn't bother him that she was a woman, but that he didn't like the idea of her and Natalia together because of who she was. No matter how much she had changed over the past year, he refused to see it and she knew he would use any opportunity he could to try and make Natalia see things the same way he did.

"It's getting late, Frank," she said, tired of the staring contest, "and Natalia and I have to be to work early tomorrow." Aside from that fact, she knew Natalia was more tired than she let on and it was silly for them to sit there and entertain Frank when he could have just called in the first place.

"You're making her work while she's pregnant?" he asked incredulously.

"She isn't making me do anything, Frank," Natalia said evenly. "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm incapable. I chose to work with Olivia and she has made it abundantly clear that I don't have to if I chose not to."

"You're right," he said. "I just don't want you getting overly tired. If there's anything I can do…"

"Actually, there is something you can do for me," Natalia said as she used Olivia's leg to push herself up. "I have something for Rafe." She held up a finger as she quickly made her way upstairs.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Frank wasted no time digging in. "What are you doing here, Olivia? Wait, let me guess," he said, holding up a hand when she began to speak. "First you force her out of town for an entire month and then you convince her that she still needs you somehow. You really are a piece of work," he said, looking at her as if she were the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen.

"I didn't force her into anything, Frank," Olivia said as she stood from the couch, her voice dangerously low. She was tired of him dumping all his problems on her, tired of his verbal abuse. "Why is it so hard for you to believe that she loves me, that she actually chose me? In case you've forgotten, I did everything I could to push her to you and it nearly killed me."

"Poor Olivia," he mocked. "You just couldn't stand to see someone else happy. I guess it's true what they say about misery loving company."

"She wasn't happy, Frank," she said, looking at him sadly, "but you were and you were too wrapped up in your own happiness, too wrapped up in thinking that she could fix all of the Cooper's problems to see how badly she was hurting, how afraid she was of hurting you. Did you ever even ask her if she was happy?"

"She would have been if you hadn't gotten in the way and got her all mixed up. She doesn't know the real you, the person who's going to break her heart eventually and I'm not sure I want someone like you around my child."

"Frank!"

Frank and Olivia looked towards the harsh whisper to find Natalia watching them from the staircase.

"Natalia…" Frank began, but he was cut off.

"No, Frank. You can't keep doing this," she said as she made her way down the rest of the stairs. She tossed the wad of money she had in her hands onto the coffee table. "You cannot keep on attacking Olivia because things didn't work out between us. It wasn't her fault, it was mine."

"Natalia," Olivia said, worried at seeing how upset the she was. She didn't need this kind of stress right now.

"I should have never accepted your marriage proposal," she continued as if she hadn't heard Olivia. "I knew I was in love with Olivia, but I was afraid," she said sadly. She felt Olivia's hand come to rest on her back and she took comfort in her touch. "And you got hurt in the process. I'm so sorry for that, Frank, and I will always regret that I hurt you, but I can't keep apologizing to you for the rest of my life."

"Natalia," Frank said, his voice hard. He pointed a finger at the woman standing next to her. "She is going to hurt you."

"You're hurting me, Frank! I chose Olivia because I love her and I can't imagine my life without her. I couldn't say that to you when we were standing in that church. I couldn't lie to myself anymore and I couldn't lie to God." She took a deep breath. "Now you have every right to be a part of this child's life, but if you continue to act this way then you can just stay away. I will not raise my child among chaos. I think we've all had enough of that in our lives."

Frank nodded slowly before moving to the door and leaving without a word. Olivia watched Natalia carefully and pulled her into her arms as she saw her face crumble. "It's alright," she whispered, placing a kiss on her head. "He'll get over it and we'll get through this," she promised.

After Natalia had calmed down, Olivia locked the door and led her upstairs. Once in their room, she slid Natalia's robe off before removing her own and led her to the bed, cuddling against her as they settled in. "I love you," Natalia said softly, her voice tired.

"I love you, too," Olivia said. She held her tighter and listened as her breathing evened out. Natalia had been brutally honest with Frank, but she had a feeling that he hadn't heard a word she said.


	7. Chapter 7

The next several days passed without incident. They hadn't heard from Frank since that dreadful night and Olivia was glad for that. If he was going to be rude and hostile, then she didn't want him anywhere near her family. Olivia accompanied Natalia to her sonogram appointment later in the week and now they were waiting for Rick near the nurses' station.

"I'm nervous," Natalia said as she took a seat on one of the benches that lined the wall.

"What are you hoping for?" Olivia asked as she joined her and took her hand.

"Well, I've always wanted to have a little girl someday," she said with a dimpled grin.

Olivia returned her smile. "Well, I can tell you from experience that little girls are special." Emma had always been a happy child and she was so glad for that considering she wasn't always a happy mother. She hadn't known Ava long, but she loved her as if she had known her and raised her from the beginning. Once they got past all of the drama, it was nice to have a friend in her daughter. She was the only other person besides Emma and Natalia who loved her for who she was, faults and all.

"If it is a little girl, I hope she turns out to be just like Emma," Natalia smiled. "And since you're going to be such a huge part of her life, I know it's very possible."

Olivia placed a kiss on the back of her hand, neither of them concerned with who might see them. "So, you never told me what names you had picked out," she said.

"Well, if it's a girl, I want her name to be Anna and if it's a boy, Gabriel. It means strong man of God," she explained proudly.

"I think they're beautiful names," Olivia said.

"Hey there ladies," intruded the voice of Dr. Rick Bauer. He smiled at the two women quickly before looking over a clipboard in his hands. "So, Natalia, congratulations on your pregnancy. You ready for that sonogram? Ready to find out if it's a boy or a girl?" he asked.

"I'm ready," she said with a glance at Olivia.

"Oh, by the way, you're due for another checkup soon, Olivia. Those fatty acids weren't lookin' so good last time you were here," Rick said absently before turning to lead the way down the hall.

Olivia glared a hole through his back.

"What's wrong with your fatty acids?" Natalia asked concerned. "I thought everything was fine with your health."

"It is," Olivia said. "My fatty acids were just a little out of wack, but he said it was nothing to be overly concerned about," she explained, trying to assuage Natalia's fears.

"This way, girls," Rick said from his position down the hall.

"We'll talk about this later," Natalia said before moving to join Rick.

Olivia simply rolled her eyes and followed behind her.

~~~

Olivia stood quietly in the small room while Natalia lay on the exam table with her belly exposed. They watched as a nurse prepared the machine and spread the goopy gel onto her stomach. Rick entered the room a few minutes later and sat down on a stool next to the bed to begin the ultrasound.

"Here we go ladies," he said as he moved the device slowly over her stomach while watching the screen. "There's the head," he said pointing to the monitor.

Natalia smiled brightly and reached for Olivia's hand.

"By the way, why isn't Frank here?" Rick asked, his attention still on the screen. After a moment of silence, he turned around to find the two women watching him. "I mean, I just assumed that the baby was Frank's with the wedding…or…non-wedding…" he trailed off.

"Rick…" Olivia began.

"I want Olivia to be here with me, Rick," Natalia said as she pulled Olivia closer.

Rick simply nodded his head, obviously confused, but accepting the answer anyway. "Okay," he said as he resumed the ultrasound. "There she is!" he said with a big smile. "There's your baby girl!"

Olivia watched through watery eyes as Natalia beamed happily and cried at the same time. Leaning down, she kissed her forehead and whispered to her, "Looks like your wish came true."

~~~

Later that day, Olivia was sitting in the living room with a glass of ice water and some paperwork from the Beacon. She and Natalia had been absolutely ecstatic when they learned they were going to be welcoming a little girl into their family and spoke giddily the entire way home from the hospital. Now that they knew who they were planning for, there was so much to do.

Sitting aside her work and taking a long drink of her water, Olivia relaxed back into the couch as her mind wandered to the nursery. They hadn't even begun yet and they only had a few short months left. They still had to choose a color and possibly a theme. Standing up, she made her way into the kitchen to do some shopping on the laptop, just as Natalia came in through the backdoor.

"There…the flowerbeds are watered," she said breathlessly. It was hot and sunny out and the flowers had been looking quite droopy when they came home from the hospital.

"Looks like you need some water, too," Olivia said as she moved to get a glass for her. She smiled as she opened the refrigerator door to get the chilled water, a sonogram picture already adorning the front, held up by a butterfly magnet.

Natalia accepted the cool glass and took a long swallow as Olivia joined her at the kitchen table. Watching as she booted up the laptop, Natalia wondered about what Rick had said at the hospital.

"So, I was thinking that maybe we could do the baby's room in yellow or purple," Olivia said excitedly. "A dark wood would look beautiful with either color or even white."

Natalia smiled softly. Olivia's decorating skills were coming out in full force. She was adorable in her excitement and Natalia felt so blessed that she had gotten a second chance with her. She almost felt faint at the overwhelming amount of love she had for her.

"We could do something traditional or modern. There're so many options these days," Olivia babbled as she pulled up a few of the websites that she had stored in her favorites.

"Olivia, why didn't you tell me about your appointment with Rick?" Natalia asked. She hated to interrupt the other woman's enthusiasm, but she felt it was something they needed to discuss. As happy as Natalia had been over the last several days, she knew there was a lot she didn't know about during her time at the retreat. Doris had only touched on a few things during her visit and she knew Olivia wouldn't tell her unless prompted to do so.

"Natalia, I swear, it wasn't a big deal okay," Olivia smiled as she continued to look at the screen happily.

"Something must have changed while I was gone though, because you were perfectly fine before I left."

The smile fell a little from Olivia's face as she finally gave Natalia her attention. "A lot changed when you left," she said, still keeping her voice light. "It was probably just stress. Now," she turned the laptop to an angle so Natalia could see it, "what do you think about this color?"

"Olivia, why won't you tell me what really happened while I was gone?"

"Why are you bringing this up now? I thought we already talked about all this."

Natalia watched as she rubbed her forehead, a sure sign that she was becoming stressed. "Olivia," the young woman said as she reached for her hand, "I know it must have been an awful time and I know it was my fault you felt that way and even though you've forgiven me, I still don't think it's fair for you to have to just bury all of that." Natalia watched as the she stood from the table, immediately missing the contact when their hands slipped apart.

"Natalia, what more could you possibly want to hear?" Olivia shrugged as she leaned against the front of the stove, her arms folded across her middle. "I was the most miserable I had ever been in my life."

Natalia realized the weight of that statement, considering all of the things the brave woman had been through in her life.

"I thought I had done something to push you away. I thought that maybe you decided you didn't love me as much as you said you did," she revealed, her voice calm as she stared at the wall across from her, her mind elsewhere. "It certainly wasn't the first time that's happened because for some reason, people don't usually choose me," she said, giving a sad laugh. "So I decided that I must be cursed in love…or just plain unlovable. We had been through so much together and I couldn't believe you just left me." She finally looked at Natalia, who was crying. "If something like that ever happened again…I…I don't know…"

Natalia stood and went to Olivia wrapping her arms around her as tight as she could and laying her head on her shoulder. "It won't happen again. I promise," she whispered emphatically. She sighed raggedly as Olivia squeezed her back.

"I know," she whispered. "I believe you."

They stayed that way for a long time, simply hugging and taking comfort in the feel of one another.

"Hey," Olivia said softly as she pulled back some. "I need to go and pick up Emma, okay?" She used her thumbs to wipe away the tear tracks from Natalia's face.

"Okay, just give me a minute and I'll go with you," she offered.

"No, no. You just stay here, okay? You need to rest," Olivia said. "I'll be right back." She moved to grab her keys from the hook.

"Be careful," Natalia said, her voice sounding small. She wondered if maybe Olivia just needed some time alone. "I love you."

Olivia gave her a small smile and leaned in for a light kiss. "I know. I love you, too," she said.

Natalia watched as she left and sighed heavily. She hadn't meant to make the woman drudge up so many bad memories, but she felt like it wasn't fair for her to have to bare the pain alone. After thanking god for giving her another chance at happiness, she went upstairs for a much needed nap.

~~~

A short while later, Natalia woke at the sound of the screen door slamming closed and slowly sat up, thinking that Olivia and Emma were home. As she carefully made her way downstairs, she was surprised to see that it was Rafe instead.

"Hi, honey," she said. Their last conversation hadn't gone so well, but she was still happy to see him.

"Hey, ma," the young man said, his eyes looking anywhere but directly at her.

"I've been wanting to talk to you again," she said as she took a seat on the couch. Rafe remained standing near the fireplace.

"There's not much else to say," he shrugged.

"Then why did you come?" she asked simply. He shrugged again. "I don't want to lose you, Rafe. I want you to feel like you can talk to me about anything."

"How can I? I don't know who you are anymore," he said.

Natalia closed her eyes, tired of the circular conversations with her son. "Other than the fact that I'm in love with Olivia, what's changed, Rafael?"

"Isn't that enough?" he asked moodily, looking at her.

"No, it's not enough because my love for Olivia hasn't changed my love for you. In fact, it seems that you've changed, Rafe."

"I've changed?" he asked, placing a hand to his chest, outraged.

"Yeah, you have," Natalia said, feeling her own ire growing. "I thought I had a son who just wanted me to be happy…"

"I do want you to be happy, ma!" he interrupted.

"But only if it's on your terms, right? As long as it isn't with Olivia?"

"When did you get so blind, ma? You used to feel the same way I did about her and now you defend her like she's some kind of saint," he yelled.

"None of us are saints, Rafe," she said, her voice hard. "All of us make terrible mistakes, but believe it or not, we get second chances. All of us," she said, glaring at him. "Where would you be if Jeffrey O'Neil hadn't forgiven you for shooting him? In case you didn't know, he was the District Attorney for Springfield. That means he had a lot of persuasion within the legal system and you could easily be in jail right now for years and years. But you're free, Rafe. You're walking around with a second chance all because someone decided that it was better to forgive you than to give up on you," Natalia finished.

Rafe simply looked at her, his mouth set in a firm line. "You're crazy if you think I'll ever accept this. Don't expect to see me very often if you're gonna live happily ever after with your girlfriend," he said bitterly.

Natalia shook her head and tried to fight back her tears. "So you'd cut me out of your life just like that?" she asked quietly.

Before he could answer, they were interrupted by the sound of the back door opening and Olivia and Emma's voices could be heard.

"Rafe!" Emma said happily as she ran into the room and hugged him around the waist. He stood there, but didn't hug her back. Olivia entered next wearing a look of caution.

"Hi, Rafe," she said.

He looked away from her. "Don't talk to me. You might be able to fool my mother, but I'm not stupid."

Natalia saw the look Olivia gave her son and she knew she would have to do something before the situation escalated. "Emma, sweetheart, will you go upstairs and get my purse for me. I think it's next to the bed," she said, making up whatever she could so the little girl wouldn't have to witness any of the mess between her loved ones.

"Rafe, maybe you should go," Natalia said after Emma had left the room.

"So now you're choosing her over me?" he said indignantly. "Figures."

"When are you going to grow up, Rafe?" Olivia asked. She was so tired of holding her tongue around him while Natalia and everyone else suffered because of his immaturity.

"Excuse me?" he said, his eyebrows raised as he turned to face her fully. "First of all, what right do you have to say anything to me? First you kill my father and now you're trying to take away my mother, too."

"Rafe, stop it!" Natalia yelled. He breathing was shallow and her heart was breaking at the things her son was saying.

Olivia immediately moved to Natalia's side concerned. "Natalia, calm down, sweetheart," she said gently. She led the woman back to the couch and eased her down gently. "Are you okay?" she asked, worried about her uneven breaths.

"I'm okay…I'm okay," she said. Her eyes were closed and she took deep breath to try and calm herself.

Rafe watched silently from across the room, warring with whether or not to leave. His heart was racing from anger, confusion and the fact that he had obviously caused his mother physical distress. He watched as Emma came racing down the stairs and over to where Olivia knelt in front of his mother, her hand resting against Natalia's cheek gently.

"Natalia, what's wrong?" Emma asked, her voice sounding more concerned that any eight year olds' should.

"I'm okay, baby, I promise," Natalia said, trying to reassure her. "I just need you to give me a big, big hug okay?" She opened her arms and closed her eyes as the little girl squeezed her.

Rafe continued to watch the three of them, his anger winning out over confusion or concern. It was obvious he wasn't needed and he turned to storm out the house. He was almost to his car when he heard his name being called and turned to see Olivia walking toward him.

"I have nothing to say to you." He dug in his pocket for his keys.

"Does it make you feel like a man to see your mother like that, Rafe? You really put her in her place back there," Olivia said mockingly. Rafe continued to his car silently and she followed him. "You can hate me all you want, kid. I can take it, but you're hurting your mother and I'll be damned if I sit by and let you."

"What the hell are you gonna do, Olivia?" he yelled, finally erupting. "You already put a wedge between us. You wanna get rid of me for good now?"

Olivia stared at him. He was a grown man for all intents and purposes, but really he was still a child, throwing tantrums when things didn't go his way, stomping off because he didn't want to share. It was pointless arguing with a child. "If you can't show your mother some respect then maybe you need to stay away until you learn how," she said. Shaking her head, she looked at him sadly. "That woman has given you everything and when she finally finds something that makes her happy, all you can do is berate her because it isn't what you want. You need to grow up, Rafe," she said again before turning to walk away.


	8. Chapter 8

Frank walked into his apartment and immediately pulled off his tie and suit jacket. He only worked half a day, but as soon as he walked into the station, there were three people waiting to file complaints about burglaries. His first thought was Cyrus Foley. Burglaries had gone up ever since the thief had come to Springfield, but he knew Cyrus had been too busy hanging out with his father at Company, a situation he wasn't very happy with, to be a suspect. He would definitely keep him in mind though.

Once a crook always a crook.

The same philosophy could be applied to Olivia. If Frank knew anything, he knew how to be a cop, and he also knew that people tended to operate in a certain pattern, or modus operandi. Figuring out that pattern was the key to catching criminals. He had known Olivia Spencer for years, a lot longer than Natalia had known her. He had seen relationship after relationship end in failure for her and it was all because of her manipulative nature. She sabotaged all of her relationships with her conniving ways and she moved on from one man to another. Now, she had set her sights on Natalia and he knew in his heart that the hotel owner was going to hurt her. Maybe she thought she loved Natalia, but someday someone else would come along and Olivia would decide that she wanted them instead. He had seen it too many times—experienced it for himself—to believe otherwise.

The other night at the farmhouse, he had been livid and he knew it was best to leave before he said something he would regret. He headed straight to Farley's for a few beers and decided that Natalia would just have to find out for herself. It was hard to watch the woman he loved get taken advantage of, but he couldn't force her to listen. All he could do was be there for her in the end when Olivia grew tired and he would be. Maybe then they could finally give their child a sense of normalcy.

~~~

Mayor Wolfe sat in her office going over the latest budget reports for the township of Springfield. Unfortunately, some cuts were going to have to be made and now it was simply a matter of deciding who and what. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her coffee, swallowing quickly when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," she called, straightening her attire and folding her hands together on top of the desk. The door opened and her pleasant expression fell as Olivia entered. "Well, what brings you by?" she asked, a faux smile back in place. She knew she was in for it.

"You know damn well why I'm here, Doris," Olivia said as she leaned her hands on top of the desk. "I came home from work last week to find Natalia in tears because someone decided to tell her about Jeffrey among other things."

"Listen, Olivia, I really didn't know you hadn't told her about Jeffrey yet. I was only trying to help."

Olivia sighed and stood up straight. "Well, thank you for your help Doris, but please don't," she said smiling saccharinely. She wasn't really all that angry at the woman, not anymore. Doris had been a wonderful friend over the last few months and she didn't know if she would have made it without her to talk to.

"So, you're back at the farmhouse," Doris said, changing the subject. She was more than aware that she had gotten off lightly. She remembered the first time Olivia had come to her office and she didn't want a repeat of that. "It's nice to see that you and Natalia have worked things out."

"What about you?" Olivia asked, taking a seat.

"What about me?"

"When are you going to tell your daughter?"

"Oh, I don't know," Doris sighed as she straightened a stack of folders, "as soon as I can work up the nerve."

"Ashley's a great person, Doris, a positive person. Maybe she'll understand more than you think she will," Olivia said, trying to be encouraging.

"I'm not so sure about that," Doris said as she remembered her daughter's reaction after finding out about Natalia. "Rafe told Ashley about Natalia a few weeks ago," she divulged.

"What did she say?" Olivia's interest was peaked.

"She felt sorry for him because his mother wasn't the person he thought she was," she said.

Olivia sighed and closed her eyes. Natalia nearly had an anxiety attack because of Rafe's hurtful words the other day at the farmhouse. What could it possibly take to get through to him? Time? Nothing? She hated to think that he wouldn't come around eventually. He didn't have to like it, but it would be nice if he could respect it. It was hard to imagine that such a selfish person had come from Natalia, the most selfless person she knew. Olivia knew that she was no stranger to self-interest, but Natalia's love had taught her that there was a better way to be, to live.

"Listen, Doris, if we've learned anything from this whole situation it's that there may never be a right time to tell someone. Ashley loves you," Olivia said softly, "and I really think she'll take it better than you're expecting her to."

Doris sighed and stared into her coffee cup. "I hope you're right."

~~~

Natalia sat at the kitchen table, stirring the batter for chocolate chip cookies. She had a massive craving that wouldn't leave her alone. Emma was once again with her father and Olivia was at work. She had gotten up that morning, ready to go into the office with her, but Olivia practically begged her to stay home and rest. The confrontation with Rafe had left her mentally exhausted and she was feeling down for a couple of days afterward. She loved Rafe so much and she knew that he was having a hard time dealing with everything, but she couldn't stand by and watch him treat Olivia so badly. He was old enough to make his own decisions and she couldn't force him to be with her, so, somehow, she was going to have to live with the fact that she would barely get to see her son because she refused to end her relationship with Olivia.

Frank's behavior hadn't helped her mental state either. It seemed as if he and Rafe had a life goal to hate on Olivia when she had done nothing to either of them. In fact, she had helped both of them, but they seemed to conveniently forget that fact. If anything, they should have been angry with her. She knew the role she played in breaking Frank's heart. It was true that Olivia had pushed her toward Frank, but ultimately it was her decision to make and she should have never let things progress as far as they did. And Rafe. Olivia had wanted to tell Rafe about them sooner, but she had insisted on waiting until he was ready and he found out in a shocking way instead. She often wondered if he would have reacted differently had she been able to tell him the way she wanted. A part of her really didn't think so, but another part of her wanted to give her son the benefit of the doubt.

Standing from the table, Natalia grabbed two cookie sheets from the counter and began plopping small amounts of the dough onto the flat metal. She had always been the type of person who tried to be pleasant to others no matter what. She had certainly proven that skill when she was taking care of Olivia after her heart transplant and it was funny how she could smile upon such unpleasant memories with a fondness.

Yet another issue she had dealt with at the retreat was guilt. It was hard for her to accept the anger that Frank and Rafe had toward her once they found out about her relationship with Olivia. She felt so guilty for hurting Frank, especially. She was always known as the nice one and now, here were two people she cared about angry at her. Eventually, all of their anger seemed to transfer to Olivia, but Olivia wasn't to blame. She was and she was willing to accept it. She had tried to make Frank understand that the other night, but somehow he and Rafe were blind in their anger and convinced that Olivia was manipulating her. They seemed to be the only two people in the entire town who hadn't seen the change in Olivia. Even Reva, once considered Olivia's greatest rival, had seen the change. They were even friendly. The woman was friends with all of her ex husbands, even Alan to some degree. What would it possibly take for Frank and Rafe to realize the change?

Natalia was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of a car door slamming. Praying that it wasn't Doris back for round two, she abandoned her cookie baking and went to see who it was. As she opened the screen and stepped out onto the porch, she was pleasantly surprised to see that it was Olivia home from work early.

"Hi," she beamed glad to see the beautiful woman. They immediately reached for one another, lips meeting in a soft kiss, bodies melting into a hug.

"Mm," Olivia moaned a few minutes later as she pulled away, "you taste like chocolate." She smiled before stealing another kiss.

Natalia laughed as she led Olivia inside by the hand. "You caught me. I was baking cookies and I couldn't resist stealing a few chips."

"Chocolate chip; my favorite," Olivia smiled as she looked over the table filled with baking supplies.

"I know. I made sure to double the recipe," Natalia smiled. "What brings you home so early?"

"No special reason," Olivia shrugged as she watched her place two trays in the oven. "Unless you count the fact that I miss you like crazy when I'm at work."

Natalia smiled as she took off the apron she was wearing. "I would definitely count that as a special reason," she said and led Olivia into the living room.

They sat down together closely and Olivia slipped her heels off before pulling Natalia nearer still. "How are you feeling today?" she asked as she placed a light kiss on her forehead.

Natalia closed her eyes with a sigh, immediately forgetting the question as she felt light kisses continuing down to her cheek, her chin and finally her lips. Kissing Olivia was such a rousing experience. Natalia didn't think she had ever been kissed so sensually in her life. Olivia somehow made her feel like she was the most important person on earth when they kissed and just the mere thought of making love with the beautiful woman nearly undid her.

Olivia moaned softly as she felt Natalia deepen the kiss, the feel of her tongue doing torturous things to her body. She was still well aware of the fact that she hadn't had the pleasure of sex in a very, very long time and as she and Natalia grew closer physically her body yearned for it even more. The hand rubbing the bare skin of her thigh did nothing to ease that yearning either. Soft fingertips teased just past the hem of her skirt and she moved her lips to the skin of Natalia's neck.

"Olivia?" Natalia breathed. Her eyes were close as she enjoyed the feeling of moist kisses drifting down to her collar bone.

"Hm?"

"I want to be with you," she said softly. She was scared, but she meant it when she told Olivia that she wanted all of the things that people in love shared. Watching as Olivia pulled away, she buried her fingers in thick, dark hair and looked into her eyes. "I want to make love with you."

Olivia nearly melted as Natalia spoke the soft words. "I want that, too," she whispered before leaning in to capture warm lips once again. Pulling away a few moments later, she stood from the couch and pulled Natalia with her. Stopping at the bottom of the staircase, Natalia pulled her into another yet another slow, drugging kiss and Olivia's hands slid down bare arms to rest affectionately against the belly pressed against her.

"Wait," Natalia panted after breaking their kiss.

Olivia could have cried. Waiting was the last thing she wanted to do. "What is it?" she asked, winded from the arousing kiss Natalia had bestowed upon her.

"I think the cookies are burning."

~~~

The mood had most certainly not been broken, but by sheer force of will alone, Olivia allowed Natalia to finish her baking and had even pitched in to help. Only the two trays had been ruined, but dozens and dozens more had made up for them. Now, she sat munching on a warm cookie, while Natalia put the last of the others into a giant ceramic cookie jar.

"There. All done," she said, dragging one of the kitchen chairs closer to Olivia and taking a seat.

Olivia smiled and held the cookie out so Natalia could have a bite. "What do you say I change clothes and we can go grab something to eat?" she suggested as she finished the last of the cookie.

"Sounds good to me," Natalia said. She was hungry and a crispy piece of Buzz's fried chicken would definitely hit the spot.

"Be right back," Olivia said with a quick kiss.

Natalia sighed as she watched her go and thought about a different kind of hunger she was feeling. Her body was still humming and what she really wanted was to pick up where they left off. A part of her felt silly for being so scared because she knew Olivia wanted her just as much. It was so new and different, but she wanted it. Taking a deep breath, she stood from the table and followed Olivia up the stairs.

~~~

When she got to the landing, she could see that the bedroom door was open and she approached slowly. "Olivia," she called.

"In here," came the muffled voice.

Natalia swallowed as she walked further into the room to see Olivia standing there barefoot, in a pair of dark jeans and a black bra, rifling through the closet for a shirt. She turned around then and Natalia could only stare. "Um, sorry. I didn't know you were still dressing."

Olivia smiled slowly as she approached. "It's okay, Natalia," she said softly as she pulled the younger woman closer.

Natalia's hands smoothed over the warm skin at Olivia's waist and around to her back. "You're so beautiful," she said as her eyes roamed over the front of her body. Olivia leaned in to kiss her then and the sensations from earlier came back full force.

By unspoken agreement, they immediately picked up where they left off and Olivia's fingers moved to the buttons of Natalia's blouse. The younger woman pulled away from the kiss breathlessly and watched through lidded eyes as Olivia undressed her, the warm air from the open window traveling over her skin as her shirt fell open. Her own fingers trailed lightly up and down the skin of Olivia's ribs until finally they reached the sides of her breasts. Natalia's heart was beating furiously from a combination of nervousness and arousal and her eyes drifted shut as she felt Olivia's gentle hands softly massaging her breasts.

Olivia leaned her forehead against Natalia's as her hands slid around to her back to pull her closer. "You feel so good," she whispered before kissing Natalia yet again. Tongues met eagerly and Olivia maneuvered until they were standing next to the bed. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"God, yes," Natalia said as she placed her lips to Olivia's neck. Her hands moved to the edge of Olivia's jeans and she unbuttoned them before sliding the zipper down. Fingers slid inside to push the material past curved hips until Olivia was left standing in her bra and panties. Natalia felt Olivia pushing her skirt down and her hands came up once again to touch Olivia's body. Her fingers smoothed over every ounce of flesh she could reach until it was no longer enough. Slowly, she pulled the straps at Olivia's shoulders down and placed kisses to the newly bared skin.

Olivia's eyes drifted shut as she felt fingers finally undoing the clasp of her bra. The warmth of Natalia's body disappeared and she opened her eyes at the feel of the material falling away.

Natalia's eyes took in the sight of full breasts and Olivia moaned as she touched them, the palms of her hand brushing lightly against sensitive nipples.

"Natalia," she breathed, nearly whimpered. The woman's light, exploring touch was torture and Olivia pulled her into a deep kiss. Never had she been so gloriously aroused by another individual in her life and she felt weak from the sensation. Her hands slid up soft skin to the clasp at Natalia's back and she pulled the material away, her insides turning molten as firm, naked breasts pressed against her own.

The two women kissed slowly, deeply, passionately, until it simply wasn't enough. Bodies yearned to be pressed together in the most intimate way and hands longed to touch, caress and discover.

The last bit of clothing was pushed away and they finally lay together. The sensations they felt were new and overwhelming and they took turns kissing, tasting every inch of warm flesh they could, and exploring deeply until cries of pleasure rang through the air.

~~~

"Olivia?" Natalia called softly. She was lying on her side, facing the window with Olivia's warm body pressed tightly against her.

"Hm?" came the sleepy response. Tightening her hold, Olivia stretched languidly, giggling when Natalia wriggle against her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Oh, God, yes," Olivia grinned, repeating the other woman's words from earlier. She watched as Natalia shifted until she was facing her, a brilliant smile on her face.

"Me, too," she said happily.

Olivia leaned in for a slow kiss, moaning softly at the delicious contact. Here they were, making love in the middle of the day, for the first time, and she was quite simply addicted. It was the single most emotionally and physically pleasurable thing she had ever experienced and she never wanted to move from the spot. "God, I love you," she said as her kisses trailed down to Natalia's neck and breasts.

"Olivia," Natalia moaned as her exhausted body immediately came to life once more. Her fingers trailed through soft hair as she enjoyed the feeling.

Olivia moved to her knees and leaned down to place a loving kiss on the swell of Natalia's belly as the sheet they were covered with fell away. "You're gorgeous," she whispered as she took in the sight of Natalia's body and the changes it was going through as she carried their daughter. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you, but I swear I'll never let you go," she said.

"Good," Natalia said as she sat up, "because I'm not going anywhere…ever." She pulled her closer for a kiss, trying her best to show Olivia just how much she meant the words she just spoke. She knew Olivia had forgiven her for leaving, but she would always assure her that it would never happen again whenever she could.

Just as things began heating up once more, the phone rang. Dual groans sounded and the two women reluctantly pulled apart. "I guess that's what we get for making love in the middle of the day," Olivia sighed. Kneeling over Natalia's legs she reached for the handset and leaned back on her heels as she answered.

Natalia rested against the headboard as she listened to Olivia's side of the conversation and slowly drug her fingers over the smooth skin of her stomach. They trailed even lower past her bellybutton and she looked up with a smile as she heard the woman's breath hitch.

"Okay, we'll be there soon…bye." Tossing the phone aside, Olivia leaned down for one last kiss before climbing from the bed. "We have to go."

"Why?" Natalia asked as she moved to the edge of the bed.

"Emma isn't feeling well and Phillip says she wants to come home," Olivia explained.

"Is she alright?" Natalia asked as she gathered their clothing from the floor.

"She's okay. She just ate too much junk and now she wants her mommies," Olivia said.

~~~

After a quick stop at Company to pick up a bite to eat and another stop at the convenience store for some ginger ale, the family had finally arrived back home. Emma was resting on the couch with a movie, while Natalia and Olivia sat talking in the kitchen.

"Poor Jellybean," Natalia sympathized. The little girl had looked so pitiful when they picked her up.

"Yeah. I think Phillip felt awful about it," Olivia said, smiling slightly.

"What do you think he wants to talk to you about?" Natalia asked as she began clearing the table of their meal. Phillip had made plans with Olivia for next week while they were at the mansion, but he didn't say much about what he wanted to discuss.

"I'm not sure," Olivia said. "I just hope it's nothing serious and that it won't affect Emma in any way. I'm finally at a place where I can trust him again and Emma is so happy to have her daddy back," she sighed. "Things are finally good in every aspect of my life and I'd like to keep it that way."

Natalia watched as she rubbed her forehead and moved behind her to rub her shoulders. "Well, let's not go into anything expecting the worst," she said, trying to smooth away any lingering fears.

"You're right," Olivia said, her eyes closed at the wondrous things Natalia's hands were doing. "Shouldn't I be giving you a massage? You're the one who's pregnant."

"You're right," Natalia said, smiling playfully. "You can pay me back later when we go to bed." She laughed at Olivia's groan and leaned down to place a kiss against her temple.

"Mommy," came Emma's voice as the little girl walked into the kitchen.

"What is it, baby?" Olivia asked as she pulled her into her lap. "Are you feeling any better?" Emma shook her head no and rested against her mother's chest. Olivia pressed a kiss against her forehead to check for a fever. "Are you sure it's just a tummy ache? What exactly did you have to eat at your daddy's house?"

"We had pizza and soda. Then daddy had to go and make a phone call and Grandpa Alan let Hilda get me cake and ice cream. Then James gave me some candy," she explained.

Olivia looked up at Natalia who was holding back a smile. "Jellybean, you know better than to eat all that junk," she admonished softly.

"I know, but it was so good."

"Hey, Em, why don't you go upstairs and see if you can take a nap okay, and we'll be up in a little while to check on you," Natalia suggested. After placing a kiss on her cheek, she watched the little girl walk out of the room.

"Let's go sit on the porch," Olivia said, standing. She grabbed Natalia's hand and led the way.

~~~

"The weather has been so great," Natalia said with her head resting against Olivia's shoulder.

"It has," Olivia agreed. She wished it could last forever.

"I can't wait until fall though."

"What? Why would you want the fall instead of this nice, warm weather we're having?" Olivia asked incredulously.

Natalia shrugged. "I don't know. There's just something about the fall that's so pleasant and beautiful. We get to see all of the leaves changing and drink hot chocolate and sit by the fireplace. And then I think about everyone else all snuggled in their homes. It makes me feel cozy," she grinned.

"Natalia Rivera, you are so cheesy," Olivia joked.

"But the best part is that we'll all be snuggled in together; you, me, Emma and the baby. It'll be perfect," she said with a contented sigh.

Olivia imagined the scene as Natalia spoke and decided that maybe fall wasn't so bad after all.

~~~

Natalia busied herself with laundry and cooking while she was at home waiting on the arrival of their new dishwasher instead of at work with Olivia. Emma was outside playing with the neighbor girl. As she folded bath towels, her mind drifted back to that morning and the wonderful things she and Olivia had done together. They were still new lovers, but she felt like they had known each other in that intimate way forever. She was pulled from her thoughts when Emma burst through the front door noisily and joined her on the couch.

"Hey, sweetie, are you done playing already?" Natalia asked as she finished folding the last of the towels.

"Nope. Katie had to go home for lunch, but she's going to come back later," Emma explained.

"I think lunch sounds pretty good," Natalia said as she sat the laundry basket aside. She had been craving a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Leading the way into the kitchen, she fixed the sandwiches while Emma got the cookies and milk.

"Katie's mom invited me to go school shopping with them next week."

"Well, that sounds fun," Natalia smiled. "You'll get knew clothes and school supplies. We'll see what your mommy says when she gets home."

They finished up their lunch just before the deliverers arrived.

~~~

Looking at the clock, Natalia saw that Olivia would be home soon and it brought a smile to her face. The dishwasher had been installed and she already had it loaded with the dishes she used to cook dinner. Never in her life had she had the luxury of a dishwasher and she was already getting used to it. Olivia would be pleased. Today was the day she was meeting Phillip at Towers and Natalia was curious as to how it went. Pulling plates from the cabinet, she proceeded to set the table.

A short while later, she heard the back door opening and turned around with a smile that immediately fell as she saw the tears in Olivia's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Natalia asked moving to her immediately. She placed her hands on her cheeks and wiped away the tears that kept falling. "Please tell me what's wrong?" Natalia pleaded softly as Olivia buried her face in her neck. Natalia held onto her tightly, feeling tears well in her own eyes as the woman she loved more than anything sobbed in her arms.

"It's Phillip," Olivia finally whispered. "He's dying."


	9. Chapter 9

The warm breeze of summer soon turned into the cool draft of autumn. The leaves were changing and falling, and Thanksgiving was to be celebrated in a less than a week. Life at the farmhouse was bittersweet. They were happy to be a family again and excited at the impending arrival of their new baby girl, but there was sadness in the air as Phillip's condition worsened. Emma spent as much time as she possibly could with him, along with Lizzie and James. The news of Phillip's illness had served to remind everyone of just how precious life and family were. Olivia was swamped with work at the Beacon and there was even the possibility of finally expanding the company to Indianapolis. She even made trips to the city a few times to look at prospective buildings. Natalia insisted on coming to work almost everyday until Olivia insisted that she stay home. They'd even had a few arguments about it, but were too much in love to stay mad for long and making up was always fun.

While Frank was most definitely still around, he hadn't been as much of a nuisance as Olivia thought he would be. He had stopped by the farmhouse a few times, but mostly he called, which she was grateful for. The last thing she needed was Frank's accusing gaze burning a hole in her back. He was upset about not having been invited to the sonogram appointment all those months ago, but Natalia had continued to hold her ground, explaining to Frank that she was serious when she said she wouldn't tolerate chaos in her child's life.

Olivia sat in her office one cold, dreary Thursday, quickly finishing up the last of some paperwork so she could get home to her family. She was so glad that Natalia had finally stopped coming in to work as her due date neared and she spent her days at home resting instead. She tried not to argue with the pregnant woman, but it was obvious how tired she grew as the days went by and it was just silly for her to continue working.

Finally locking up her office, Olivia headed over to Company for some of Buzz's chili to take home for dinner. Natalia had called earlier to request the meal, specifically, and whatever she wanted, she got. Olivia would never admit it for fear of Natalia's wrath, but she absolutely loved spoiling her.

A short while later, Olivia entered the restaurant, quickly placed her order with Lynn and sat at the counter to wait. Emma had gone straight to the mansion after school. Her daughter was such a strong little girl, but she and Natalia always made sure to spend extra time with her lately. No matter how strong she was, she was still just a child and they knew how hard it was for her to deal with everything.

Olivia was pulled from her thoughts at the sound of Buzz's voice and turned to see him talking to a group of customers. She hadn't seen much of him over the past few months. He caught her eye and made his way over.

"Hey, Buzz," she smiled as he went behind the bar.

"Olivia."

She raised her brow at his less than friendly tone and immediately came to the conclusion that he must have found out about her and Natalia. "So…Frank finally told you," she said. Half the town knew by now anyway, so it could have been anyone really. She and Natalia in no way, shape or form hid their relationship from anyone, but they didn't announce it either. They shopped, dined and went out frequently as a family and neither pulled their hands apart or stopped an affectionate gaze or touch because they were afraid of who might see. She even went to church with Natalia on occasion. They were confident in their love for one another and the hateful or disapproving glares weren't enough to make them falter.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Buzz asked.

"And what if I had? Would you have understood, or would I have lost one of my closest friends?" Olivia questioned.

Buzz sighed as he leaned his elbows on the counter in front of her. "Why Natalia?" he asked. "You could have any person you wanted. She and Frank could have really been happy together."

Olivia sighed. "Natalia and I didn't expect any of this to happen. We fell in love, Buzz," she shrugged, "and it's good and it's real." She looked away from him as Lynn appeared with her order and dug through her purse for money. She was sad to have to lose her friend, but she couldn't force anyone to understand.

"You really love her?" Buzz asked.

Olivia looked up to see that his expression had softened. "More than I have ever loved anyone in my life," she told him.

The restauranteur's jaw dropped and he grabbed his heart in mock hurt.

"Sorry," Olivia said, smiling, though her tone was completely unapologetic.

Buzz watched as she grabbed her bag and left the restaurant. He was sad that things hadn't worked out for his son, but a part of him was also glad that Olivia Spencer had finally found some happiness.

~~~

Natalia looked at the clock above the fireplace and slowly pushed herself up from the couch. She had tried taking a nap, but Rafe called and now she was worried. Their conversation was short and clipped as usual, but there seemed to be something else in his tone. Although it didn't seem like it lately, Natalia knew her son and she knew when something was wrong with him. There wasn't much she could do to help him though because he refused to come around. The most she could do was ask Frank to keep an eye on him, and while she was grateful to Frank for his help when it came to Rafe, she was resentful of the fact that she needed a go between to know what was happening with her own son.

Moving to the window with a sigh, Natalia looked out at the dull sky and the scatter of leaves blowing across the yard. It got dark a lot earlier in the fall and winter months and she hated being cooped up alone while Olivia was at work and Emma at school. She never had the freedom of not working during her first pregnancy and it was hard to stay busy. She had gained much more weight than she had with Rafe, too. Olivia really was spoiling her. She couldn't even count how many boxes of chocolates she had been surprised with or how much ice cream she had eaten over the past few months.

Natalia made her way into the kitchen and filled the kettle with water for some tea. She was so close to her due date and more than ready for her baby girl to enter the world. The nursery was decorated beautifully and they had plenty of baby clothes and supplies. Olivia had even surprised her with a baby shower and now they were set for at least a couple of months. She was hoping that the excitement of having a new baby sister would help Emma deal with Phillip's failing health. They said a prayer for him every night before bed and Natalia always sent up an extra one, hoping against all odds for a miracle so the little girl wouldn't have to lose her father. Emma had already been through so much in her young life and this was sure to be devastating. Natalia's eyes watered as she remembered Olivia's brush with death. Just the thought of it was heartbreaking because she couldn't imagine a life without Olivia in it now.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she pulled two mugs from the cabinet, grimacing slightly at the soreness in her back, and placed a teabag in each one. Olivia was sure to be home soon with dinner and she thought a hot cup of tea would be a nice surprise after being out in the cold.

~~~

After a long day at work, Olivia couldn't wait to get home to Natalia. A light drizzle started to fall as she made her way home from Company and she was thankful for the toasty heat blowing from the vents as she drove along. Headlights reflected off the slick roads and she maneuvered the car carefully until she was finally able to surpass the heavy traffic. As she passed the high school, she noticed someone walking through the empty parking lot and realization dawned on her as she recognized the army camouflage hoody.

The rain chose that moment to fall even harder and she decided that it wouldn't be right if she didn't at least offer him a ride. She doubted he would accept, but she would try for Natalia sake. Maneuvering the car into the turn lane, she waited for traffic to pass and watched as Rafe continued walking and disappeared behind the building. Olivia was finally able to turn into the parking lot and she drove slowly until she too was behind the building. She spotted him leaning against a fence that surrounded the track and football stadium and he appeared to be drinking something. With a sigh, she pulled the hood of her coat over her head and got out of the car.

"Rafe," she called as she got closer. He turned to face her, but didn't react otherwise. She saw that he had a beer in his hand, the rest of the case sitting by his feet. "Why don't you let me give you a ride?" she offered. "You're gonna get sick out here in this weather." She tried to keep her voice light, hoping to avoid another verbal battle with him.

"Like you care," he said before taking another pull from the green, glass bottle.

"That can't be good for your diabetes, Rafe." Things were already stressful enough, the last thing they needed was him going into a diabetic shock. "Look, you don't have to talk to me or even look at me, but let me at least drop you off somewhere warm and dry," Olivia said. He said nothing and she watched shocked as he threw the beer bottle against the side of the building, the pieces scattering noisily on the ground. He picked up another from the carton and opened it for another long swig. "Rafe, what the hell are you doing?" she said, a little more forcefully this time.

"Go away, Olivia!" he yelled as he walked away from her a short distance. "I don't need your help."

"Do you know what's going to happen if you get caught out here?" she yelled. Just then a police siren gave a short loud burst of sound and Rafe went still as they realized it was coming from the front of the building. Olivia quickly walked over to him and grabbed the beer out of his hand. "Go," she said harshly, giving him a slight shove. He stood dumbfounded and she yelled again. "Go, Rafe! In case you've forgotten, you're on probation. You're out here drinking like an idiot, you're loitering and you're damaging property. If you get caught they could send you back to jail. Go!"

Olivia sighed as she watched him run off and quickly took a drink of the beer before spitting it out. The rain was still falling steadily and as she turned around, she saw the police car pulling in behind her car. The lights were blinding and all she could do was stand there as the officer approached.

"Olivia?"

She closed her eyes in horror as she recognized Frank's voice.

"What in the hell are you doing out here?"

"What's it look like, Frankie?" she said, squinting through the bright lights and the cold rain.

"A call came into the station about some suspicious behavior at the school. The last thing I expected was to find you here drinking," he said, that accusing gaze of his burning a hole through her. There was a broken window in the front of the building and now here she stood with an open beer and glass smashed everywhere. "So what happened, Olivia, you and Natalia have a disagreement and you decided to get drunk?" It wasn't the first time she had done so. He shook his head as he pulled his cuffs out and as he neared her, he could smell the alcohol on her breath. "I'm gonna have to take you in." Natalia had made her choice all those months ago and he promised himself that he wasn't going to interfere anymore; he wasn't going to be the bad guy. He knew if he waited long enough that Olivia would eventually show her true colors and he was right.

Olivia said nothing as he led her to the car. There was nothing she could say if she was going to cover for Rafe. She would use her phone call to contact Mel and she would be out in a few hours at least. If Rafe had gone back to jail, she knew it would break Natalia's heart and she would do anything to keep that from happening.

~~~

Natalia had finished her tea long ago and Olivia's still sat on the counter, having gone cold. She had tried her cell phone numerous times, but to no avail. She had even called over to the mansion in case something had happened regarding Emma, but no one there had heard from her either. She was half tempted to get in the car and go looking for her, but she didn't want to miss her if she came home.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to force herself to relax, but she was having a hard time doing so. She knew Olivia wouldn't turn her cell phone off, especially with her being so close to the due date and she was starting to get worried. Natalia stood slowly from the kitchen table and her hand went to her lower back to try and massage the soreness away. The pain seemed to have gotten worse over the last few hours.

As she made her way into the living room, she stopped suddenly and grabbed onto the mantle to hold herself steady.

Her water broke.

Natalia took deep breaths before making her way back into the kitchen for her cell phone. She dialed Olivia's number once again and nearly cried as the voicemail picked up.

"Olivia, where are you?" she said to the empty room, her voice shaking. She quickly dialed Frank's number instead.


	10. Chapter 10

Frank sat at his desk filling out a report while Olivia was back in lockup. He sighed as he thought about having to tell Natalia that the so called love of her life was being held for public drunkenness and damaging property. He didn't put much past Olivia; she had certainly done worse. If Natalia wasn't so naïve, they would be married and starting a family by now, but it had to take Olivia getting arrested and doing something stupid before she would finally see.

As he filled in the last blanks of the report, Frank looked at his watch to see that it was nearly ten. He would need to drive out to the farmhouse before it got much later and tell Natalia what happened. After filing the report away, he made his way back to where Olivia was and found her sitting on the small cot with her back to the wall, legs dangling over the edge.

Olivia looked up when she heard someone sigh and immediately stood from the uncomfortable cot. "Frank, I need to call Natalia and let her know what's going on," she said as she curled her fingers around the cool metal bars.

"You know what? I'll talk to Natalia. I think you've done more than enough damage for one night," he scolded. "You might be better off calling your lawyer at this point."

Olivia stayed quiet, although she wanted to strangle Frank and his self righteous attitude. He was so sure he had her pegged, but he would be shocked if he knew the truth. Just then his phone began ringing and she watched as he pulled it out and answered.

"Hello? Natalia…Sweetheart, slow down…I can't…"

"Frank, what is it?" Olivia said as she saw his eyes go wide. "Tell me what's happening!" He only held a hand up to silence her.

"Okay…just stay calm and I'll be right there," he said before hanging up.

"Frank what is it? Is it the baby?"

"Her water broke," he explained. "I have to go."

"Frank, wait! You have to let me out of here. I have to be withher," she called as he began leaving the room.

"You know what Olivia, you should have thought of that before you decided to go out and get drunk," he said harshly before finally leaving.

"Fuck!" Olivia screamed as she shook the bars, her grip white knuckled. If she missed the birth of their baby, she didn't know what she'd do, but she knew for certain that Natalia would never forgive her. Tears stung her eyes and she cursed again before screaming for someone to let her out.

~~~

Rafe stripped off his wet clothes as he entered his and Frank's apartment, still shocked about the events of the evening. The long walk home in the cold rain had helped him to sober up quickly and he couldn't believe that Olivia had actually taken the blame for him. The last thing he wanted was to accept anything from her, but he knew she was right. If he had been caught, he would have surely gone back to jail for violating his parole and that was the last thing he wanted or needed.

Just as he slipped a dry shirt over his head, his cell phone rang. Seeing that it was his Frank, he thought about just letting it go to voicemail, but with a sigh, he flipped the device open.

"Hello."

"Rafe?"

"Frank, what's up?" he asked.

"Listen, Rafe, I'm at the hospital right now and you need to get down here. Your mother's about to have the baby," he explained.

Rafe's eyebrows practically went into his hairline. "I'll be there as fast as I can," he said before hanging up. As he finished getting dressed, his mind wandered in a thousand directions, mainly wondering what happened with Olivia. Making his way into the living room, he slipped on a dry pair of sneakers and made his way out again. He would just have to worry about the whole situation with Olivia later because right now his mother needed him.

~~~

"I need somebody to let me out of here!" Olivia yelled, her voice echoing off the walls. She had been screaming her head off for the past ten minutes and so far, no one had come to check on her. A uniformed officer had allowed her to use a cell phone earlier to call Mel, but that had been nearly forty-five minutes ago. Just as she was about to give up, the door opened loudly and in walked Remy.

"Olivia?" he questioned, surprised. "What are you doing in here?"

"Remy," she said desperately, "please, you have to let me out of here. Natalia is getting ready to have the baby and I have to be there," she said, her eyes imploring him to let her out. Considering the way she had treated him in the past, she wouldn't blame him if he laughed in her face, but she would do whatever amount of groveling she had to if it meant he would unlock the cage she was in.

"Olivia, it doesn't exactly work that way. I can't just let you out. I could lose my job," he explained. "What are you in here for anyway?" he asked.

Before she could answer, the door opened again, and in walked Mel. "Olivia, I just got your message. What's going on here?" she asked, looking back and forth between Olivia and her brother.

"Hey don't look at me," Remy said defensively. "I'm didn't even know she was in here until just now."

"Mel, you have to get me out of here, now. Natalia is having the baby and I have to get to the hospital," she pleaded.

"Well, what were you arrested for?" the lawyer asked.

"Public drunkenness and property damage," she said monotonously.

Mel studied her for a moment. "You don't seem drunk to me."

"That's because I'm not," Olivia mumbled as she paced the cell, though neither Remy nor Mel heard her.

"Who was the arresting officer?" Mel asked.

Olivia sighed. "Frank Cooper." The brother and sister had matching raised eyebrows at the answer. Everyone in town was fully aware of the situation between her, Frank and Natalia and Frank's disapproval of Olivia in general.

"Did he test your blood alcohol level? Does he have any evidence that you damaged property?" Mel rattled on.

"I don't know. He didn't really explain anything to me," Olivia said. She knew she had to be careful of what she said or Rafe would get caught.

"Well, he can't just hold you without cause," Mel said incredulously. "Did he read you your rights?"

"No," she answered immediately, praying that alone would get her out.

"You can't hold my client," Mel said with certainty as she turned to Remy. "Any two bit cop would know better than to arrest her without informing her of her rights. I could list about twenty different reasons why Detective Cooper should be written up right now," she informed him. She honestly had nothing against Frank, but she was a lawyer who had to fight for her client and that's exactly what she was doing. "She's free to go."

Remy shrugged, seeing no flaws in his sister's argument, and pulled the keys from his belt to unlock the door. Frank had obviously let his personal feelings get in the way and if he even did have a case against Olivia, it was out the window now. He opened the heavy door and watched as Olivia squeezed Mel in a tight hug before racing from the room.

~~~

Natalia sat quietly in her hospital room, worried and wondering where Olivia could possibly be. Frank had showed up not too long ago and he was being really wonderful and sweet, but she didn't want Frank, she wanted Olivia. She knew something had to be wrong if she wasn't answering her phone. They last talked a few hours before she was due to leave work and everything seemed perfectly fine then. What if she was hurt or worse? Natalia's eyes welled with tears at the terrible thought. She had begged Frank to try and find her and now he was out in the hallway making some phone calls.

"Olivia, please be okay," she prayed, "and please get here before this baby is born. She could feel her contractions starting again and she closed her eyes tightly against the pain.

~~~

Frank stood in the hallway pacing, occasionally checking in on Natalia to make sure she was okay. Everything was already stressful and painful for her because of the baby and now Olivia had gone and made things worse. Natalia wouldn't stop asking about her when she should have been preparing to give birth to their daughter and he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to keep the truth from her. Maybe he should just tell her that Olivia was in jail and then she would at least know that the woman was unharmed.

Just as he was preparing to return to the room and tell her what happened, he saw Rafe rushing down the hallway toward him.

"Frank, how's ma?" he asked as he approached.

"She's okay…she's okay," Frank said, clapping him on the back, still trying to figure out how to tell her about Olivia. "Why don't you go in? She'll be glad to see you." He watched as Rafe disappeared inside the room and sighed, thankful for the extra minute to come up with a way to break the news to Natalia.

~~~

Rafe entered the hospital room quietly and saw his mother lying in bed with her eyes closed.

"Ma?" he called softly as he moved closer. Her eyes opened and her face melted at the sight of him.

"Rafe," she said, reaching out a hand to him. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Mama, don't cry," he said gently as he took her hand. "Of course I'd be here. I'm gonna have a little sister soon. I couldn't miss that."

"Rafe, I can't find Olivia," she told him. "I haven't heard from her in hours. Something has to be wrong because I know she would have called by now if she could."

"What did Frank say?" he asked, his heart beating wildly, guiltily.

"He's making some calls to try and find her," Natalia explained. "She has to be here. She can't miss this."

Rafe felt awful as he heard the heartache in his mother's voice, but maybe Olivia didn't get arrested after all because surely, Frank would have known something if she had.

"Listen, maybe I can go and try to figure out what's going on with Olivia," he offered.

Natalia nodded her head. "No, I want you to be here, too. If you leave you might not get back in time," she said.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't miss this for the world. I'll be back in time. I promise," he said as he bent down to kiss her cheek.

"Rafe," Natalia called before he could leave, "I love her," she told him softly, unwaveringly.

He saw he sadness on his mother's face and the tears in her eyes. "I know, ma," he said just as softly before leaving the room. As he joined Frank out in the hallway again, he prayed that Olivia had not been arrested and that something else was holding her up.

"Hey, pal, how's your mom?" Frank asked him.

"She's okay. She's worried about Olivia though," he explained, hoping Frank would offer something up if he knew anything.

"Yeah," the detective sighed, "I know."

Before Rafe could question anything, the doctor appeared and entered Natalia's room, followed by Frank and Rafe. A nurse appeared a few minutes later to check her dilation and informed her that it was almost time.

"Frank, I need you to find Olivia," Natalia pleaded as the doctor and nurse left.

Frank took a deep breath as he moved closer to the bed, preparing to tell Natalia the truth.

"Ma, I'll go see if I can find her," Rafe said as he quickly made his way to the door, but before he could leave, an out of breath Olivia burst through the door and made a beeline for Natalia who clung to her tightly.

"Shh..shh. Please don't cry," Olivia whispered, as she hugged Natalia tightly. "I'm here now."

"Where were you?" Natalia asked softly through her tears. "I thought something happened to you."

"I'll explain everything later. I promise," Olivia said, her eyes cutting to Frank for a moment, who looked shocked to see her, "but right now we need to get ready to bring our new little girl into the world," she said, smiling, focusing all of her attention back on Natalia.

"I love you," Natalia said, continuing to hold her tightly, "and I'm so happy you're here. I didn't want to have to do this without you."

"I love you, too," Olivia said as she placed a light kiss against her lips. "I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

Frank and Rafe exchanged uncomfortable glances as the two women clung to each other, seeming to forget that anyone else was in the room. Frank had no idea how Olivia had gotten out of jail, but he was damn sure going to find out once he got back to the station.


	11. Chapter 11

Olivia lay on the cot in Natalia's hospital room, staring lazily at the flat screen television mounted on the wall, which provided the only light in the room aside from the small glow above the baby's crib. The birth had gone smoothly and baby Anna had come into the world at 10:07pm. She and Natalia both cried at the sight of their new baby, Frank had been every bit the proud father and Rafe the protective older brother. For that night at least, they were all able to put their differences aside and focus on the new addition to the family instead. Frank hadn't said anything, but Olivia could still see that he wanted to.

At the sound of soft noises, Olivia immediately stood from the cot and made her way over to the incubated crib on the other side of Natalia's bed. Anna was fussing in her sleep and Olivia soothingly placed a hand on her small chest to calm her.

"Is she awake?" asked a groggy voice.

Olivia turned to find Natalia staring sleepily and soothed the baby one last time before making her way over. "She's still sleeping. You should be, too," she said softly, brushing some hair out of the younger woman's face.

"So should you," Natalia said. She caught Olivia's hand with her own and placed a kiss on the palm. "Olivia what happened earlier? Where were you?"

As much as she simply wanted to blurt the truth, telling Natalia about Rafe and his drinking, Frank arresting her, everything, she didn't want to overwhelm her. The woman just had a baby and all she needed to worry about was getting some rest.

"It was just a miscommunication," she explained. Not a complete lie. "I didn't realize my phone was off and I didn't get any messages. I'm so sorry," she said, leaning down to plant soft kisses against offered lips. She was saved from any other questioning by the night shift nurse entering the room to check on mother and daughter.

~~~

As the next few days passed, things were finally returning to some semblance of normal. Natalia and Anna were released from the hospital with clean bills of health and now they were settled in the farmhouse comfortably. Emma was away at her father's, but had made it abundantly clear that she was ready to come home and meet her new baby sister. Olivia was glad for Phillip's help while she helped Natalia and the baby get settled in, but tears pricked her eyes as she thought about his illness. Sighing to collect herself, she grabbed her keys from the coffee table, just as Natalia descended the last of the steps with the baby.

"I'm going to go pick up Emma," she explained as the mother and daughter settled in on the couch. "Are you two going to be okay?" she asked as she settled in with them for a moment.

"We'll be just fine won't we, Anna?" Natalia said as she placed a kiss on the baby's head. "Tell your momma we'll be just fine."

Olivia's heart melted at the term and how right it felt. Natalia turned to look at her when she heard sniffling.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, really. I'm just happy," Olivia said. "I should get going before Emma decides to take the bus home," she joked.

Natalia smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "I can't wait until she gets here. Maybe this will take her mind off Phillip…for a while at least."

Olivia nodded her agreement, too overwhelmed to speak by the conflicting emotions within her, happiness at having the family she always wanted and sadness at the inevitable loss of her child's father. "Okay," she said suddenly, collecting herself. "I'll be right back. I love you." She kissed Natalia again before leaning in to kiss her baby, too. "Both of you."

~~~

Natalia gently eased the sleeping baby into the bassinet next to the couch and quietly made her way into the kitchen to make lunch. She knew Olivia would scold her for doing too much too soon, but she felt fine. As she sat out the ingredients for homemade potato soup, she thought about Olivia's absence the night she went into labor. She said she didn't realize her phone was off, but why wouldn't she have checked it or even called herself to make sure everything was okay? She also never explained why she didn't come home from work on time. There were a lot of holes in her story and as soon as they had some time alone, she planned on getting to the bottom of it.

Having peeled and chopped the potatoes, she dropped them into the boiling water just as the front doorbell rang. She grabbed a dish towel on her way to answer and checked to make sure the noise hadn't woken Anna.

"Hi, Frank," Natalia greeted as he entered the house.

"I finally got some time to come and see my baby girl," he said loudly. Natalia quickly hushed him and pointed to the sleeping baby in the bassinet. "Look at her," he whispered. "She's so beautiful." He gently touched the thick curls of dark hair and played with her tiny hands.

Natalia watched on as Frank bonded with his daughter, talking to her softly. After all of the hostility he had shown toward Olivia over the months, she was glad to see how civil he was to her at the hospital. She meant it when she said she wouldn't raise her child amongst chaos.

Moving back into the kitchen, she finished lunch while Frank spent some time alone with Anna. She poked her head in to check on them periodically. Half an hour later, she looked up from stirring her soup as Frank entered the kitchen, a soft smile on his face.

"I might be biased, but I think she just might be the cutest baby in the world," he said.

"Of course, she is," Natalia smiled, "she's ours."

Frank watched her with longing as she moved to get bowls out of the cabinet and spoons out of the drawer. It was easy to see why Anna was so beautiful and he hoped she would turn out exactly like her mother.

"Would you like to stay for lunch?" she asked politely. "Olivia and Emma should be here soon."

"Actually, I'd love to, but I should be getting back to work," he said. Just the mention of Olivia's name bothered him and he thought about her actions the night Anna was born. Anyone would be able to understand why he wasn't happy with the idea of her raising his child. When he got back to the police station that night, Remy explained why Olivia had gotten out and Frank berated himself for allowing his judgment to be so clouded. She had been released on a technicality. "Did Olivia mention anything about the other night? Where she was?" he asked easily.

Natalia stopped what she was doing and looked directly at Frank. "She hasn't said much…why?" She knew there was something suspicious about that night and Frank had just confirmed it with his questioning.

Frank stared at her blankly for a moment and then sighed. If Olivia was going to be around his child then Natalia needed to know the truth. "Listen," he said, stepping closer to her, "before I say anything, I want you to know that I'm only telling you this because Anna's safety is the most important thing to me. I'm her father and her well being is my main concern."

"Frank, what are you talking about?" Natalia asked, becoming impatient.

"Natalia, the reason you couldn't get a hold of Olivia that night was because she was out getting drunk," he told her.

Natalia immediately turned back to her task of setting the table, shaking her head in the negative. "I don't believe that," she said, immediately dismissing his words.

"Well, unfortunately, it's the truth," he said. "I got a call about some loitering behind the high school. I went to check it out and there she was. She had a case of beer and there was damage to the property. I had no choice but to arrest her." When Natalia didn't say anything else, Frank sighed and continued. "Look, I'm sorry, Natalia, but it's not really a surprise that she would do such a thing and that's exactly why I'm so concerned about Anna. She doesn't need that kind of an influence in her life."

"I would never let anything or anyone bad influence my daughter, Frank," she said, her voice cold. "I'll talk to Olivia, but from now on this is between me and her." Her tone brooked no room for further discussion and Frank quietly left the kitchen to say goodbye to his daughter before leaving the house.

~~~

A short while later, Olivia and Emma arrived home.

"We have to be quiet, Jellybean, because the baby might be sleeping," Olivia explained as they removed coats and shoes. She looked around the kitchen to see a pot on the stove and shook her head at Natalia's inability to just sit back and rest. She moved to take a peek under the lid at the creamy deliciousness inside. "It does smell good though," she muttered to herself. As she made her way upstairs, Emma already having run ahead, she peeked into the nursery to see her three favorite girls.

"Can I hold her?" she heard Emma ask softly.

"Of course you can, you're her big sister," Natalia said.

Once Emma was situated on the floor with the baby in her arms, Olivia moved further into the room and slid her arms around Natalia's waist. She felt the young woman stiffen, but only assumed it was because she had startled her. "Look how cute they are," she said, placing a kiss on Natalia's cheek, "our girls."

Natalia hugged the arms around her waist before moving away. "Keep and eye on them," she said softly as she left the room.

Olivia shrugged, figuring she wanted a moment to herself and then sat on the floor next to Emma.

~~~

Natalia paced the room, wondering how to even broach the subject with Olivia. This was supposed to be a happy time in their lives. Surely, there had to be an explanation for Olivia's actions. She looked up a few minutes later as the smiling woman entered the room.

"Anna's fast asleep in her crib and Emma is downstairs watching television," she explained. "She's so excited."

"Frank stopped by," Natalia spoke suddenly, paying close attention to Olivia's reaction.

"I bet he's excited, too," she said, keeping the smile on her face even though she wanted to grimace at the mere mention of his name.

Natalia stood in front of Olivia where she now sat on the bed. "He told me what happened that night Anna was born." Olivia's eyes slid shut and she continued. "I told him I didn't believe it. Why would you possibly do something like that when we were…are so happy?" She felt the tears sting her eyes. "Why aren't you saying anything? Why aren't you telling me that I was right and it isn't true?" she asked desperately.

"Natalia…" Olivia's phone rang. It was the emergency ringtone for The Beacon. "I have to take this…"

Natalia heard the one sided conversation without really listening, instead lost in her own thoughts. Maybe Olivia wasn't happy. Maybe she was still angry at her for leaving all those months ago. Her mind was full of doubts and Olivia wasn't doing anything to dissuade them.

"Natalia, I'm sorry, but I have to go," she said softly. "I promise I'll explain everything to you when I get back." Olivia placed a kiss on the silent woman's forehead and left the room, feeling instead like she was walking out on her life.

~~~

Rafe walked through the door of Frank's apartment that evening to find him sitting on the sofa. The coffee table had been pushed to the side and there were boxes and parts spread all over.

"Frank, what is all this stuff?" he asked, making his presence known.

"Rafe, good, you're here. How about giving me hand with all this. It's the crib and swing for your sister."

Rafe picked up one of the instruction sheets and sat cross legged on the floor.

"Have you been to your mom's to visit her yet?" Frank asked as he rifled through the miscellaneous parts.

"Not yet," Rafe said. He knew he was going to have to eventually, but he dreaded running into Olivia, although the reasoning was much different now.

"Well, you should do that. It'll make your mom happy to know that you're there for her."

Rafe watched silently as Frank moved into the kitchen for two beers, handing him one as he came back.

"Don't tell your mom," he smiled, "but this is a special occasion…a toast to Anna, my baby girl and your baby sister," he said, taking a long pull of the alcohol.

Rafe stared at the beer in his hand, yet to take a drink.

"I know your mom doesn't like you to have alcohol, but I think you're responsible enough to handle it wisely. Believe me…some people aren't," Frank said, secretly referring to Olivia. He looked up when Rafe didn't say anything. "Look," he began, "you're probably going to hear this eventually, so I'll just tell you. It's about the night Anna was born and why Olivia was so late getting to the hospital."

"Frank," Rafe said quietly. He knew exactly where the conversation was going and he didn't want to hear it, but Frank kept on.

"Unfortunately, I had to arrest Olivia that night because she was drunk and damaging property. As you can see, she managed to get out, but she still needs to be held accountable for her actions, especially if she's going to be a part of Anna's life." Frank chuckled mirthlessly and continued on. "I know your mom wants everyone to believe that Olivia has changed, but this proves the exact opposite. She's always been a very selfish person and she still is."

"Frank, stop!" Rafe yelled as he stood up and paced the living room. "You're wrong about Olivia this time…she wasn't drunk that night…"

"She told you this?" Frank asked standing. "It doesn't really matter whether she was drunk or not, she still…"

"No, Frank…man, you're not listening, alright? Olivia wasn't drinking at all that night…it was me…she was covering for me." Rafe watched as Frank stood there shocked. "She knew that if I got caught, I'd be in serious trouble, maybe even go back to jail…she took the blame so I wouldn't get in trouble." Frank sank back down to the couch and took another drink of his beer and when he remained silent, Rafe quietly went to his room.

~~~

Olivia arrived home much later than she expected that night after taking care of the emergency at the hotel. All of the lights were off except for the one over the sink and she slowly made her way upstairs after hanging up her coat. Just this morning they were happy and full of excitement and by the end of the day she had managed to screw it up.

Before making her way into her and Natalia's bedroom, she quietly snuck into the nursery to have a look at her new baby girl. As she peeked over the crib, she was surprised to find Anna's eyes open.

"What are you doing awake, my little angel?" she asked softly as she leaned against the side of the crib, her fingers brushing against a chubby face and wrinkly little hands. She quickly pulled her cell phone from her pocket to see that it was nearly midnight. "Are you hungry? I'm sure your mommy will be awake to feed you soon. She's not very happy with me right now," Olivia sighed, "but I love her too much…you and our family, too much to walk away…too much to let her walk away. I'll just have to find a way to make her forgive me. Will you help me?" She watched quietly for a few moments as Anna's eyes drifted closed and re-tucked the blankets around her. "I love you, sweetie pie," she whispered before leaving the room.

She changed into her pajamas quietly and sat on her side of the bed for a few moments, watching Natalia's still form, the blankets pulled up to her chin. "Natalia?" she called softly, but received no answer. She didn't want her day to end like this; she wanted to slip under the warm covers and cuddle with her love; she wanted the ease and contentment of that morning, but she didn't know how to fix it. If she told the truth, that it was Rafe she was covering for, she didn't know what would happen to him and therefore what that would do to Natalia. Surely, Frank wouldn't arrest Rafe, but she didn't think he'd be so quick to take him back to the halfway house after the failed wedding either. Sometimes Frank was a cop to a fault.

Instead of crawling into bed like she desperately wanted to, Olivia stood and made her way to her old bedroom. She crawled into the cold, stiff sheets and stared at the wall as she lay on her side, her heart heavy. She had faith that Natalia would forgive her eventually, but the damage to their relationship, Natalia's trust in her, was done. Olivia sighed heavily as she wiped her tears away. It was to be a long night.

~~~

Early the next morning, Natalia stood in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Anna had already eaten and was upstairs sleeping, but she brought the baby monitor with her just in case. She had heard Olivia's conversation with their daughter last night and she had been awake when Olivia called her name, but it was late and she hadn't felt like talking. As upset as she was, she still missed Olivia's presence next to her in bed. Once they had finally made love and shared a bed together, she had immediately gotten used to Olivia's warmth and last night it was cold without her.

Once the pancakes were finished, Natalia quickly scrambles some eggs. She turned around at the sound of a key in the backdoor and was surprised when Rafe walked in.

"Honey, what are you doing here so early?" Natalia asked as she went to give her son a hug.

"I had to stop by and see my baby sister," he said, hugging his mother in return.

"Well, she's sleeping, but you can go up and see her. Are you staying for breakfast?" she asked as she pulled a jug of orange juice from the fridge.

"Um…I'm not sure. Where's Olivia?" he asked.

Natalia sighed. They may have all called a truce the night Anna was born, but it seemed like things were quickly getting back to normal. "Rafe, I'm done defending my relationship with Olivia."

"Ma, wait…it's not that…I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" she asked, taking a seat at the table.

"It's about the other night…the reason Olivia was so late getting to the hospital," he began.

"Rafe, Frank and I already discussed this…"

"Olivia wasn't out drinking, Ma…" he said, cutting her off. "I was…and she was covering for me. She let herself be arrested so I wouldn't get in trouble," he confessed quietly. His eyes were downcast and he nervously played with one of the forks sitting on the table. For the first time in a long time, he was too ashamed to look at her and her silence scared him.

"Did you tell Frank this?" she asked, her voice even.

Rafe nodded and chanced a peek at his mother. She was staring straight ahead and he mouth was twisted to one side, a sure sign that she was upset.

"You made me doubt her, Rafe," she began as she stood from the table and leaned against the counter, arms folded in front of her. "You made me distrust her…question whether Anna was safe with her…" Natalia's voice faded and she wiped the tears from her eyes angrily. She was angry at Rafe, at Frank, and angry at Olivia for not telling her the truth. "Why didn't she just tell me?" she asked softly, rhetorically. Rafe answered anyway.

"She said she knew how much it'd hurt you if I went back to jail," he told her. "I'm sorry, mama."

Natalia turned away to finish getting breakfast ready. "Go see your sister, Rafe."

~~~

Olivia heard voices downstairs, but she wasn't quite ready to leave the sanctuary of her bedroom. She didn't want to face Natalia's disappointed gaze or pretend that everything was okay in front of Emma. Heaven help her if Frank stopped by. Just as she was about to throw the blankets back and make her way downstairs, her cell phone rang and she answered it immediately when she saw it was the Spaulding Mansion.

~~~

Natalia took a deep breath as she reached the top of the stairs. Emma woke up nearly half an hour ago and she and Rafe were downstairs having breakfast. Anna was still asleep. She and Olivia needed to talk and she found herself nervous for some reason as she stood outside her old bedroom door. She knocked quietly and entered without waiting for an invitation.

~~~

Olivia was just finishing her phone call when she heard the knock on her door. She said her goodbyes just as Natalia was entering. They stared at each other for a moment before she shyly said hello.

"Hi," Natalia responded just as softly. "Who was on the phone?" she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. Olivia was resting against the headboard.

"That was Alexandra. The doctors have come up with something that might save Phillip's life. It's dangerous, but it's worth a shot. Emma might not have to lose her daddy," Olivia smiled.

Natalia listened as she filled her in on the details, Alan being a match and the risks involved for both of them. She was happy for Phillip, happy for Emma, but her mind was focused on something else at the moment. "Rafe is here," she said when there was a lull in the conversation. Olivia didn't say anything and she continued. "He told me everything, Olivia…that you covered for him."

"Natalia, he would have gone back to jail…"

"And what about you?" Natalia said, the fire returning to her voice. "You were arrested and you almost missed the birth of our daughter!"

"But I didn't and Rafe isn't being shipped off to some godforsaken prison somewhere," Olivia argued. "I know that would have killed you, Natalia."

The younger woman reigned in her emotions before she spoke again. "Olivia, I love you for loving me and my son so much, but if something happened to you I would have been just as miserable. If helping Rafe means sacrificing yourself then I don't want you to do it. Rafe is my son and I love him with all my heart, but he's practically a grown man now and he has to live with the choices he makes." She scooted closer and took Olivia's hand. "There was a time when I would have sacrificed everything for him, too, but we have the rest of our family to think about now. I've done the best I can with Rafe and I'll always be there for him, but we have to think about Anna and Emma. What would we have done if something happened to you?" Natalia asked as she reached out to wipe away the other woman's tears. "Olivia, I love you and I want you…but I also need you. And I'm not talking about money or material things. I think my heart would literally break if anything happened to you…I don't want to do this without you."

Olivia pulled the woman to her and squeezed her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry," she said, her head resting on Natalia's shoulder. "I was only trying to protect you."

"I know," Natalia said softly as she ran a soothing hand up and down Olivia's back. "Promise me we won't keep things from each other," she said, pulling back slightly. "When Frank told me what happened…it made me doubt you, Olivia, and I don't ever want to feel that way again."

Olivia softly kissed the pouting lips in front of her. "I'm so sorry, sweet heart. I promise not to keep anything from you ever again," she said as she nuzzled her face into Natalia's neck. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Natalia whispered. She placed her hand on Olivia's face and pulled her into a slow, deep kiss. It felt like a lifetime since she had last kissed her this way, but it had been less than a day. It didn't take long before the kisses became deeper and longer and hands roamed and caressed. "Olivia," Natalia said, pulling away breathlessly, "you know it'll be a while before we'll be able to make love again, right?"

"I know," she said, alternating kisses between Natalia's lips, face and neck. "I could kiss you forever.

Natalia laughed. "Well, luckily it won't take forever for my body to heal and we can do a lot more than just kiss."

"Mm, your body is beautiful," Olivia smiled, placing yet another kiss to full lips, "and you gave birth to our beautiful new daughter. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Natalia said, reluctantly pulling away. "Our children are out there waiting for us. Let's go have breakfast."

They stopped by the nursery to get Anna and carefully made there way downstairs.

"I think Rafe feels really terrible about what happened," Natalia said quietly, "and I think he realizes that he's been wrong about you. Don't be too hard on him, honey."

Olivia smirked as Natalia walked ahead into the kitchen and then shifted the baby in her arms. "We'll be as gentle as a lamb, won't we, sweetie pie?"


End file.
